Against All Odds
by Siretha Elaine
Summary: Recovering from the various events taken place in the prequel "When Opposites Attract," Spencer and Toby move onwards as a newly engaged couple. But their lives are, once again, turned upside down in this romance/mystery when someone is killed, and all evidence locks in Spencer as the murderer. Will our favorite powercouple prevail against all odds?
1. Essence

**Chapter 1 – Essence**

"Good morning, Mr. Cavanaugh," Spencer greeted her fiancée when she entered her kitchen—actually it was their kitchen now.

At the sound of her voice, Toby twirled around to see her. Extending the cup of joe freshly brewed just for her in his hands towards her, he blissfully replied, "Every morning with you is a good morning, future Mrs. Cavanaugh."

Spencer snickered, "Every morning with my very own live-in barista is a great morning."

Toby playfully rolled his eyes as he sashayed in her direction, adorning a sideways smirk. Spencer knew what that seductive look and sexy walk meant. She sat the mug on the counter, not wanting to spill its hot contents on her silky blouse.

When he reached her, his hands snaked around her midsection. Hoisting her up until her buttocks met the counter, he dove between her legs. She wrapped them around his waist, locking him in place. His hands slid into her apple scented tresses as his lips kidnapped hers.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when she moaned in his mouth. One of his hands abandoned her hair and cascaded down her torso. Down a little more until he found the tail of her skirt. His index finger drew circles on her bare skin, his way of asking for permission to proceed further.

"Hmm…" she breathlessly moaned as she slowly pulled back from the kiss. "I have…" _Kiss_ "to be…" _Kissy kiss_ "at work…" _More kissy kisses_ "in a few."

Toby's bottom lip folded outwards and his eyes transitioned bluer than usual.

"No fair!" the attorney winced. "You know how irresistible your pouting is. Damn you, you sexy beast."

Toby smiled devilishly. "Irresistible, huh?"

His index and middle finger started to walk up her leg, his fingertips on her skin which sent shivers up her spine.

"Toby," Spencer warned.

"Just say _no_ and I'll stop," he advised.

Spencer growled, because she couldn't say no. She didn't want to.

By now his phalanges had slithered under the spandex material hugging her legs. Spencer's breathing deepened; her heart rate accelerated. Her legs started to quiver as his fingers climbed higher under her skirt. The brunette's eyes started rolling around like balls on a pool table. Her fingernails sunk into the back of his neck.

He was one second from discovering her treasure when he ceased all movements.

"See you when you get off of work, babe," he said and began to retract his body from hers.

He didn't get far, because Spencer squeezed her legs tighter, securing him in place.

"I'll be damned!" she swore. "You got me all flustered and stuff. You've got a flame to extinguish, mister."

"But you gotta get to work."

"I'm the bosses' daughter; I can be tardy."

A wide grin appeared on the man's face alongside a raised eyebrow.

"With what I have in store for you, you might need to take the whole day off," he toyed.

"Oh my God!" Spencer cooed and started fanning herself. "Me. You. Bedroom. Now!"

…

A few hours and countless rounds of lovemaking later, Spencer was fast asleep with Toby spooning her. He absentmindedly twirled several strands of her hair around his finger while he stared across the room at the wall.

His mind had projected his thoughts onto the wall, allowing him to revisit several memories that reminded him how fortunate he was to have this unbelievably incredible one as his own.

Their journey was anything but simple; nonetheless, it was worth all the chaos.

Toby stroked the side of Spencer's face. She smiled in her sleep. Yes, it was definitely worth the chaos for moments like these.

Toby looked down at the ring he'd given Spencer just yesterday and smiled significantly. Oh, it was so worth every trial and tribulation they endured in the essence of love.

"I love you so much," he whispered ever so sweetly into her ear.

"I love you more," she mumbled as she began to awaken.

Spencer yawned as she reciprocated her position to lay on her other side in order to face Toby. They smiled at each other like the two love-struck beings they were. Toby continued to play in her hair while Spencer's hands flirted with his bare torso.

A sadness appeared in her eyes when her fingers paused near the dark scar over his heart. Toby noticed her gloom.

"What's wrong?" he wondered.

A single tear eluded her eye. "This scar haunts me; it's a constant reminder how close I came to once losing you."

"Nonsense," he decreed before kissing away her sole tear. "This scar should be a reminder of how strong our love is, because it is your love that saved me."

"After you saved me," she added.

"There is nothing I wouldn't do for you, Spencer Hastings."

"Good to hear that, because I'm starving."

"You got two hands—go make yourself a ham sandwich," he teased.

Copying his action from earlier, Spencer poked her bottom lip out and turned on the charm with her big brown eyes.

"Cuteness overload. Oh no. It burnsss," Toby clowned.

He pulled his giggly fiancée closer to him until their naked forms clashed. Down the length of her visage, he left a trial of light kisses. Just when he was about to entertain her hungry lips, something leaped between their faces. Instead of her lips, his lips were greeted by a furry tail.

"Hey, you!" Toby exclaimed when he took notice of their pint sized intruder.

Spencer pulled their pet into her arms and caressed him. He meowed in delight.

Toby folded his arms over his chest and feigned hurt. He complained, "Hey there, fellow, that's my fiancée."

Spence whispered to the white kitten, "Don't worry about him; he's just jealous, Fluffy."

"Fluffy? That's not his name; it's Sneakers," Toby enlightened.

"Sneakers?!" she laughed. "Where did you up with that silly name?"

"He's Sandals' little bro; I think he should have a relatable name."

"We are not calling him Sneakers."

"Ok, fine. How about Stiletto?"

"No."

"Flip Flop?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, I got a good one this time! We can call him, drumroll please, Boots!"

Spencer stared at him.

He pled his case. "Like Boots from _Shrek_. We can put him in some cute little boots and a cowboy hat and…"

Spencer and the kitten just stared.

"Ok, fine. Have it your way. His name is MisterFluffyButt."

On that note, Fluffy voyaged to the edge of the bed and made himself comfortable.

"Note to self: don't let Toby name our babies," Spencer stated aloud.

A massive grin erupted on the carpenter's face. "Babies?"

Spencer instantly grew afraid that she had scared him with that sensitive term, but when she looked up and saw the idyllic expression on his face, her worries subsided.

He brushed his nose against hers, emitting a series of contagious cackles from her.

"You wanna have my babies?" he asked in a singsong manner.

"Yeah," she cooed. "I mean, but only if you want kids. I mean, do you want kids? We've never really discussed that; I mean, technically we didn't have the time, because we were too busy trying not to get killed…"

"Spencer," he said to stop her rambling. "I want everything with you. The house, the kids, the dog…"

Fluffy meowed from his resting place at the foot of the bed, seemingly reminding Toby to include him.

"The cat," Toby added.

The couple laughed.

"As a matter of fact," Toby smiled as he pulled Spence atop his bare frame. "We can start working on that now."

"Toby!" Spencer gasped. "Not now, you overzealous man."

"Ok, fine. But we can still practice," he flirted before taking her tongue into his oral cavity.

When she came up for air, she decreed, "Not that you need any practice."

Toby blushed.

"But there is something that I need…" Spencer indicated.

"What?"

"That ham sandwich."


	2. Imperfect

**Chapter 2 - Imperfect**

Spencer turned over in the bed, expecting to be greeted with a set of alluring sapphire gems staring lovingly at her. There was a set of blue eyes transfixed on her, but not the ones she desired.

Her scream got trapped in her dry throat and her movements had been paralyzed by fear. Only her heart was operative, and it was hammering heavily against her chest, nearly impaling her rib cage.

Her body trembled incessantly when he smiled at her.

"Miss me, Spencer?" asked Ian with a crooked smirk.

Spencer started hyperventilating. Her tears exploded. The more frightened she grew, the more satisfied Ian was. His hand leaped from underneath the blanket they shared to reveal the deadly item that almost took Toby away from her.

"Time to join Sandals," he ruled.

BANG!

Toby raced into the bedroom at the sound of Spencer's ear-shattering screams. Spencer was tossing and turning and kicking and wailing in her sleep. He knelt down on the side of the bed and called her name to awaken her.

"Spencer, baby," he called.

She quickly sat upright, breathing profusely. Her eyes were watery, staring blankly at nothing in particular. Toby joined her in the bed and pulled the trembling girl into his arms. She melted in his warm embrace, her sobs intensifying. He rocked her back and forth while gently caressing her back.

He didn't have to ask what was wrong; he was already aware. Since the incident a few months prior, she had been suffering from numerous nightmares, reinventing the terror and making her relive the agony.

Toby despised the fact that there was nothing he could do to stop the nightmares. He felt like such a failure. He'd promised Spencer that he would forever cherish and protect her; yet, he couldn't do anything about this.

"Shhh, it's okay; it's okay," he lowly proclaimed in an attempt to pacify her. "I'm here; I got you. It's okay."

"It… it seemed so real," she cried.

"I know, but it's not real. He's gone, and I'm here. You're safe."

Spencer squeezed him tighter.

"I love you, Toby," she professed.

"I love you, too," he eagerly replied.

He loosened his grip on her to free one of his hands. He opened the drawer of the nightstand stationed on her side of the bed and retrieved two neutral colored bottles. He deposited two tablets into her hand: one was an antidepressant and the other was to control her blood pressure.

Toby couldn't wait until the day his love was enough to cure her brokenness.

"I'll get you a glass of water," he announced.

"Thanks," she smiled. He began to advance towards the opened door. "Hey, Tobes?"

He paused and turned around. "Yes, my love?"

"Don't forget my ham sandwich."

…

Spencer and Toby spent the entire day goofing off like teens skipping school.

Their afternoon started off cuddling on the sofa watching _Titanic_. When Jack died, Toby cried, although he claimed he had a popcorn kernel stuck in his eye. Then, they fought over the remote—Spencer wanted to watch the _Law & Order_ marathon while Toby had become addicted to the _Disney Channel_, courtesy of his many days babysitting Cody.

That fight led to an intense make-out session, and the television ended up watching them.

Somehow, a game of hide-and-seek was initiated. They spent several hours running around the penthouse looking for each other. When it was Spencer's turn to find Toby, she decided to make the game more exciting.

When she at last found him hiding in the closet—admiring her collection of sexy lingerie she'd secretly purchased to surprise him with—she produced her secret weapon from behind her back and blanketed the unsuspecting fellow with loads of whipped cream.

She ran away and just like the clumsy one she is, she ended up tripping over an object on the floor—thankfully it was a pillow—and dropped the can. It rolled directly over to Toby. What karma! He sprayed the giggly one until the can was empty. She screamed when he began licking the contents off her face. Of course, that led to another make-out session.

After a long shower together, they retreated to their room to brainstorm wedding ideas. Actually, Spencer was the one doing all the thinking and planning; Toby just agreed with whatever she said like the dutiful fiancée he was. He just wanted to be her husband already.

"Oh my goodness!" Spencer gasped. "Toby, we haven't told our parents yet."

Toby smiled, "They know. Your ring was my mom's ring; my dad gave it to me when I told him I was going to propose. She left it in her will for me. Her only wish was that I give it to a special lady who will cherish and love me just as much as I will her. Jay-Z stole Beyoncé from me, so I guess you'll do."

Spencer gasped and slapped his arm.

"We still have to tell my folks," she stated and shuttered.

The Hastings were known to be overly selective and quite judgmental. They had already met Toby, liked him then disliked him. The lovers spent Christmas with her family after The Ian Thing revealed Toby's innocence, but her parents still seemed apprehensive about Toby. At dinner, her dad kept cutting his eyes at Toby. He would smile, but Spencer thought it was pretentious.

"They know, too," Toby simply stated.

"How do you know?"

"Because I asked your dad for his permission before I proposed."

"Whaaat?!" she squealed at this new information. "Oh my God! What did he say?"

"Before or after he put me in a headlock?"

Spencer's eyes grew ten times in size.

Toby couldn't contain his laughter. "I'm kidding; I'm kidding," he snickered. "After an hour long lecture, he finally approved."

"When did you talk to him?" Spencer wondered.

"Christmas Day while we were setting up that bookshelf I built him in his office. Actually, I did all the work. He was just standing there, threatening to shoot me if I ever broke your heart."

"Ohhhh. That's why he kept looking at you during dinner. I didn't know his smiles were genuine."

Spencer hadn't realized she was crying until Toby's fingers gently wiped away the downpour on her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he worried.

"I'm just so happy…" she boohooed. "Everything is finally going our way, and I'm so happy. I'm so grateful you chose me to share your life with."

"It was never a choice; it was fate. We were meant to be together, Spencer, because you complete me."

When turquoise met chocolate, lips clashed and tongues danced. When they pulled back, they rested their foreheads against the others and stared uninterruptedly into each other's eyes.

"Today was perfect," Spencer identified.

"Every day with you is perfect."

"You always sound like a poem."

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted their perfect moment. It was Spencer's phone with an incoming call from Hanna.

"Hey, Han," she answered.

"Spencer," a male voice called.

"Caleb? Hey. What's going on?"

"It's Hanna… we're at the hospital."

"Oh my goodness! She's in labor! Okay, tell her to hold the little munchkin in until I get there. Toby and I are on our way now," Spence squealed in utter joy.

"Spencer," Caleb winced. "The baby… the baby didn't make it."


	3. Haven

**Chapter 3 – Haven**

_Three weeks later…_

"Ms. Hastings, your nine o'clock appointment is here," announced Spencer's secretary via the phone's intercom.

Spencer frowned up as she looked through her calendar on Outlook. Her next interview wasn't scheduled until nine-thirty. _Oh well, better to be super early than a little late_, the attorney thought. She pressed the response button and instructed her assistant to send in the hopeful job seeker.

After tidying up her desk, Spencer took the confidential documents that she was currently reviewing and placed them in the top drawer of her massive desk. In this drawer was also her medication she had been prescribed to keep her tranquil since the horrific near-death experience.

She decided to take two tablets before the interview to maintain her composure throughout it. She had been working on an extremely sensitive case that often caused her emotions to surface. Her parents wanted to reassign this case to another lawyer at the firm, but Spencer insisted she keep it.

This was no ordinary case. It was extraordinary. And by no means was she going to bypass the opportunity to seek justice for her late niece: Haven Victoria Rivers.

It had been discovered that the loss of Hanna and Caleb's daughter was avoidable. The baby was healthy and ready to arrive. Hanna had been in the hospital in labor for several hours. Every time her contractions would signal it was time, the nurse insisted she wait.

When it was time to push, her nurse injected her with a solution to delay the labor.

The reason the nurse kept suspending the delivery was because the doctor hadn't arrived yet. The nurse wasn't licensed to deliver babies. She was a grad school intern from UPenn's School of Medicine.

The drug she kept inoculating into Hanna was legal and safe. The problem was Hanna's body was fighting the solution, because it was time for Haven's arrival. Unfortunately, a doctor still hadn't come. Due to the prolonged delivery, Haven didn't survive.

Spencer did some digging to see why it took hours for a doctor to come to Hanna's aid. Thankfully, her new brother-in-law used to work at Rosewood Memorial Hospital and shed some enlightenment on the hospital's sketchy operations.

The board of directors for the hospital was aware that the patient-to-doctor ratio revealed a shortage of physicians. Opting for a cheap route so they could keep their luxurious salaries, the hospital hired dozens of interns instead of licensed doctors. Therefore, the current doctors were overworked and still understaffed.

That was the reason Wren resigned from the hospital and opened a small clinic with his business partner who was also his wife, Melissa Hastings-Kingston.

To conclude, the greedy bastards who run the hospital were the cause of Haven's death. And they were going to pay—big time. This case had the potential of a million-dollar payout, maybe more. Spencer planned on robbing those selfish pigs of every cent they owed. Their poor decisions cost one of her best friends and her husband their bundle of joy that everyone was so excited to meet and spoil.

Spencer's bosses/parents decided to let her keep the case under one condition: she had to hire an attorney to help her since it was such a big case. She didn't object, because she could use some assistance.

Also, she could benefit from this by working fewer hours and dedicating that time to plan a wedding—her wedding!

The door of her office opened. Spencer stood to greet whom she thought was a candidate looking for employment at the firm.

"Toby? Darling, what are you doing here?" she inquired.

"Darling? Ma'am, I don't think that language is appropriate for the workplace. Some may mistake it for sexual harassment…" he said as he neared her. "But I don't mind. You can harass me all you want."

Spencer rolled her eyes and exhaled, trying not to get caught in the heat of the moment with her fiancée moments before her interview.

"I hate to kick you out, but I'm kicking you out. I have an interview I'm about to start."

"I know… with me," he coyly smiled.

"Toby…"

He could tell by her tone that she was preparing to reject his advances. He quickly interceded her dialogue.

"I checked with your secretary; your real interview doesn't start for another thirty minutes," he stated. "I understand how important Haleb's case is. It's important to me, too. I built my niece a crib she'll never get to use."

It was true. Toby had worked day in and day out constructing a beautiful crib for the little one. Engraved into the crib's headboard in a rainbow curve read: _Haven's haven_.

Haven was an actual word that meant _a place of shelter and safety._

He continued, "We all want justice for baby Haven. So, I support you and understand why you've been working twelve and thirteen hour days. By the time you're home, I know you're exhausted so I don't bother you. But Spence, I miss you. I miss you a lot, babe."

Spencer dabbed at the small tear in the corner of one of her eyes. It was sad, but true. She hadn't spent any quality time with him lately, and their wedding plans had been momentarily paused.

She was extremely grateful her parents suggested she hire a second attorney. As soon as she got her new co-worker up to speed on the high-profile lawsuit, she was going to take a day off and get lost in the sheets with her handsome husband-to-be.

"I miss you, too," she admitted. "And I love you so much."

"Do you love me enough to play along?" he questioned, pouting for emphasis of how much he wanted to continue his roleplaying.

Spencer cleared her throat and changed her tone from ooey-gooey to professional.

"Good morning, Mr. Cavanaugh. My name is Spencer Hastings, and I will be interviewing you. Please, have a seat."

Toby's smile expanded from one ear to his other. He excitedly sat down and placed his briefcase in his lap.

"So, Mr. Cavanaugh, you're interested in becoming a lawyer?" Spencer asked.

"Nah. Lawyer-smawyer," he hissed in a dismissive manner. "I'm interested in filling the open position of fiancée."

"Actually, we don't have any availability in that department," she replied. "The male currently in that position has been doing a good job."

"Once you take a look at my resume, you'll see that I am qualified to do a better job."

He unlatched his briefcase and pulled a sheet of paper out. He handed it to Spencer. When her eyes scanned the document, she couldn't maintain her laughter. She slapped a hand over her lips to muffle her giggles. Toby grinned, elated he was the reason for the beautiful smile painted on her face.

"Your resume… your resume…" she struggled to comment due to her case of the giggles. "It's quite impressive."

The paper he'd dubbed as his resume was a page from Taylor's coloring book that the toddler colored all over and posted on their refrigerator.

"But I'm afraid that you're still not as qualified as our current guy," she teased.

"I bet your current guy doesn't bring you flowers," Toby jokingly snapped.

"Actually, he does," Spencer smiled and pointed to the vase sitting in the window sill.

"Yeah, well, roses are, like, so last season. I brought you tulips."

The lawyer awed as he handed her the wrapped bouquet of flowers from his briefcase.

"Thank you. They are so beautiful," she complimented. "And colorful. Like your resume."

The couple laughed.

Toby continued, "And I got us two VIP tickets to the most popular, high-scaled party ever to occur in this city. This party is so exclusive that the host's moms almost didn't get invited. But he invited them anyway, because they kinda own the club."

Spencer exploded into laughter when she saw the tickets; they were invitations to Cody's upcoming third birthday party being held at Emily and Maya's house. Toby scribbled the word VIP on the top for dramatic effect.

She was so loving her man right now. Time and time again, he'd proven to Spencer that he'd do whatever whenever to make her happy.

"You know, my current guy never scored us tickets to such a cool ass event," Spencer played along.

"Of course he hasn't because he's lame and I'm cool," Toby bragged on himself while dissing himself.

"You've made quite an impression on me today, Mr. Cavanaugh," Spencer enunciated.

Toby scooted to the edge of his seat to enclose the distance between their faces. He stared lovingly into her eyes as he anticipated the remnants of her statement.

She bit her bottom lip as if she was thinking hard about her decision. She contemplated, "But… but I'm still not so certain yet…"

Toby was ecstatic that she continued to play along with him. Amplifying his persuasiveness, he leaned closer across her desk. While one of his hands gradually skated across the horizon to meet hers, his other hand attacked the top button of his shirt.

"It's a little hot in here. Don't you think?" This question was followed by him unbuttoning another button on his shirt. And then another one.

Spencer forgot her comeback when the top edges of his shirt curled downwards to reveal peeks at his chest. He proceeded down his torso until his shirt was completely undone. He tried hard to mask his amusement with her staring.

"Am I hearing things, or did you say I'm hired?" Toby provoked.

Spencer tore her eyes from his abs to see the conquering expression entrenched on his face.

"I did not say such a thing," she countered.

"Are you sure?" he questioned as he stood up, allowing his shirt to fall from his body. His left hand was still caressing hers. He leaned forward, his face gravitating towards hers.

"Am I assuming things, or are you trying to seduce me into hiring you?" Spencer frolicked.

Toby just smirked when he saw her lips prepping for his kiss. Just when their lips were a mere second from meeting, the door of her office swung open.

The busted couple gasped in horror.

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry!" shrieked a short brunette who threw her hands up to shield her eyes. "Your secretary sent me up. I have an interview at nine-thirty with you."

Damn. Spencer and Toby had lost track of time.

Spencer rounded her desk and trekked over towards the girl. She took her resume out of her hand and quickly scanned it.

*Mona Vanderwaal.

*Has experience as an attorney with another firm.

*Graduated at the top of her class.

Blah, blah, blah. _Good enough for me_, Spencer thought.

"If you promise never to tell what you just saw, you're hired!" Spencer timidly stated.

The girl's amine eyes lit up. "Really?" she gasped.

"Yes. Welcome to Hastings and Smith Law Firm. You can start tomorrow. See you then. Drive home safely. Good night," Spencer was speaking so rapidly that she got all of that said in less than ten seconds.

The girl didn't question why Spencer was saying good night at nine-thirty in the morning; she didn't care. She had the job. She walked off thinking: phase one – complete.

Spencer closed the door and locked it. She turned around to find her beau. She grinned, "Now where were we?"

…

**A/N:**

**I'm back! Miss me? No? Okay then…**

**By the way, only my true pretty little detectives will pick up on why there's a conflict of interest with who Spencer just hired. All I'll say is: the clue was in the final chapter of ****When Opposites Attract.**


	4. Neglect

**Chapter 4 – Neglect**

Anticipation. It was the perfect term to describe Toby Cavanaugh's state at the moment.

He had been staring at the front door for what seemed like hours, eagerly awaiting for the sound of jingling keys on the other side of it. When at last, it occurred. He leaped off the sofa and dashed across the living room, dimming the chandelier before opening the door for his beauty. A smile appeared on her face as she was just as happy to see him as he was her.

An even bigger smile emerged when her eyes looked past him to view the scene he'd arranged in the kitchen. An array of artificial rose petals littered the floor, surrounding their two-seat kitchen table. Empty dinner plates sat on opposite sides of a vanilla scented taper candle. But its scent had been overwhelmed by the homemade lasagna Toby just pulled out of the oven.

"Wow!" Spencer breathlessly gasped.

The blue-eyed man smiled significantly at her speechless expression. That was the reaction he was anticipating. He had had the hots for his fiancé all day since she left him high and dry earlier that day in her office. He wasn't upset, because he understood she had work to do.

But that didn't simplify his yearning for her. It had been weeks since the two lovebirds had engaged in any form of intimacy. But for Toby, it felt like it had been longer than that—so much longer.

See, while Spencer had herself buried underneath mountains of paperwork in reference to Hanna and Caleb's lawsuit, Toby was home alone having staring contests with the old grandfather clock stationed in the corner of the living room until his bride-to-be returned home.

The carpenter hadn't been to work since he was shot, per doctor's order. He had been instructed to stay home to recover for several months while undergoing physical therapy. So, he had nothing to distract him from realizing their sudden neglected intimacy.

But tonight—that was going to change… or so he anticipated.

Toby extended his hand to close the front door behind Spencer, but he was prevented from doing so. He looked around the door to see what—which turned out to be a who…actually three whos—was in the doorway.

"Hey, Tobes," Emily greeted and walked on in followed by Aria and Hanna.

Spencer shot Toby a nervous look as her friends filed into the house. The dejected expression on his face confirmed his disappointment that his plans for the night had been derailed. She hadn't mentioned she made plans with the girls tonight; it was a spur of the moment decision.

However, it was really important that she and the girls went out tonight; she and Hanna had court tomorrow. The blonde had been beyond depressed and distant since the loss of her daughter, and no one dared to bring up the sensitive issue since.

With a wave of many court appearances approaching, Spencer wanted to take her friend out on the town to make sure she was thoroughly prepared for what was to come. The other side was going to dispute that the hospital was not at fault and seek for open opportunities to appoint blame elsewhere. This was a million-dollar lawsuit; things were sure to get intense as Spencer knew the hospital's lawyers were going to reach high and dig low for ways to have the case dismissed.

As if!

They had a rock solid case, especially thanks to Wren. He was her expert witness, considering he had in depth insight as to the hospital's sketchy operations and could testify as a licensed medical professional that the baby would be alive if Rosewood Memorial had delivered the baby on time.

Spencer took Toby's hand in hers and walked down the hall for privacy.

"I am so sorry…" she began.

Even though he said "it's okay," his tone suggested otherwise.

"I really am sorry, babe. It was a last minute decision to hang out with the girls tonight, but if I had known what you had planned…"

He interrupted, "Then it wouldn't have been a surprise. Spence, it is okay. It's no big deal. I just wanted to celebrate the good news—after I left your office this morning, I went for my checkup. My doctor gave me the green light to return to work next week."

Spencer exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Toby! That's so good!"

It was good. Toby loved his job as a carpenter and couldn't wait to return to work. However, it meant that he'd be working long days and often times, out of town for prolonged periods of time. That was why he was looking forward to a romantic night tonight, because soon they'd both be working twelve to thirteen hours a day.

"We can still celebrate this evening; I won't be out very long," she tried.

"I know, but you and Hanna have court tomorrow, so I don't want to keep you up too late," he replied. "Don't worry about me, babe. We'll figure something out later." He enclosed the space between them and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Have fun tonight."

"Thanks for being so understanding," she complimented as she tossed her arms around his neck.

"Thanks for being you," he grinned as he pecked her lips.

"I promise to make it up to you the best way I know how—with kisses and ham sandwiches."

Lines similar to parenthesis formed around the man's face as he laughed wildly. He dove down to kiss her lips.

"I'd love that," he professed. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she avowed.

They leaned in for another sweet kiss before she gradually pulled away to rejoin the gang in the living room.

"I'm ready," the brunette announced. "Oh yeah. Hanna, I also invited my new co-counsel to hang out with us tonight, so you guys can meet and get acquainted since she will be representing you as well. Just want to make sure you're comfortable with her. Her name is Mona Vanderwaal."

"Okay," responded Hanna. "I trust you and since you hired her, I know I can trust her, too."


	5. Incognito

**Chapter 5 - Incognito**

"The usual?" the waitress asked the girls, in reference to their usual booth that seated four at their favorite restaurant, The Apple Rose Grill.

"Actually," Spencer replied, "we'll need an additional seat. Someone else will be joining us shortly."

"Alright. No problem. Right this way, ladies," the hospitable waitress announced as she lead Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily towards a table preset with menus.

Once the girls were seated, the waitress took their drink orders. Before leaving, she turned to Hanna with a wide grin.

"So, how's the baby? She's about a month old now, right?" she inquired.

Hanna's cerulean eyes shot down to stare at the table. Her bottom lip trembled slightly. Aria and Emily looked at Spencer; the trio shared a hopeless expression, saddened by their friend's pain.

"The baby…" Spencer whispered to the waitress. "She… she didn't…" She found the words becoming entrapped in her dry throat as her own grief surfaced. Spencer just shook her head from side to side, nonverbally conversing the unfortunate message to the girl.

"Oh. Oh! I didn't know," she apologized. "Hanna, I am so sorry for loss."

Hanna managed a tiny smile and nod. The waitress parted as the girls attempted to comfort their sullen friend. Seeing Hanna Marin-Rivers in this condition could break the devil's heart, because she was always the bubbly and hilarious one.

"I promise you," Spencer sternly stated, "I will make them pay."

The attorney meant that figuratively and literally.

"And so will I," a honeyed voice added. To be precise, the actual statement in her head was _I will make her pay_, but she didn't declare that aloud. It would ruin her hidden agenda of why she truly sought employment at the Hastings' firm.

The girls looked over to see a short brunette descending into the available seat at their table.

"Girls, this is my co-counselor who'll be working on the lawsuit with me," Spencer broadcasted.

"Hi, I'm Mona," she smiled surreptitiously as she shook each of the girls' hands while they introduced themselves. As soon as the introductions were over, Mona jumped into talking about the lawsuit.

"Catch me up to speed on the case," she ordered.

"Everything is a-go. We have a rock solid case. My brother-in-law used to work for the hospital, and he'll be testifying as our expert witness, and his insight is the icing on the cake," Spencer explained.

Hanna's brittle tone chirped, "Do you think we really have a shot at winning?"

"No," Spencer responded. Before anyone could question her unexpected response, she continued, "No, I don't _think_ it. I _know_ it. I know we will win."

All eyes were fixated on Hanna and keeping her reassured, so no one saw Mona's exaggerated eye-roll.

"Like I said, everything has been taken care of. There's just one thing I have to do before court tomorrow. Pick up a copy of Wren's resignation letter from the hospital, and then everything's a-go for court," Spencer stated aloud as a reminder.

"Why?" Mona questioned.

"He's our star witness, so his credibility is the key to our success. I know the defense will try any and everything to discredit him. A copy of resignation letter will relate to the jury that he resigned from the hospital on good terms; furthermore meaning, his testimonial won't be biased or subjective."

"Oh, okay. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to pick it up for you. You know, doing my share on the case," Mona volunteered.

"Okay, thanks," the taller lawyer smiled.

"Here are your drinks, ladies," the waitress announced when she returned. "Water with a lemon for Aria, an iced tea for Em, a diet Pepsi for Spence, and a vodka soda for Han."

"Hanna!" Spencer scolded when she learned of her drink choice.

"Spencer, I need this. I'm stressed out!" Hanna debated.

"I know, sweetie, but I can't let you have this when we have court in a few hours. I need you completely focused and alert tomorrow. No alcohol tonight."

Hanna rolled her eyes and sighed deeply; she knew Spencer was right, but still…

"Alright, fine. I'll have a club soda, then," the blonde ordered.

The waitress scribbled it down and proceeded to take the cocktail drink back.

"Actually, I'll have her drink," Mona decreed.

Spencer gave her the same look she'd just given Hanna.

"I'm not speaking during court tomorrow, so I'll be fine. Besides, it's just one drink," Mona slyly smirked.

Spencer nodded and let her be. Mona smiled. When she did, the sight sent shivers down Spencer's spine. She couldn't fathom why, but something about the new girl didn't set well with her. Spencer brushed off the alarming vibe, assuming it was her guilt consuming her for how unprofessional their first encounter was when she caught Spencer and Toby in the heat of the moment in her office.

Mentioning Toby…

Spencer pulled her phone out to text the hunk on her mind. She felt so terrible for continuously neglecting him and delaying the planning of their upcoming nuptials. She was just so damn busy that she was surprised she found time to eat.

Abandoning her fiancé would be a thing of the past really soon, Spencer presumed. If things went the way the young attorney highly projected in court on the following day, they would win the case in a matter of days; thus permitting the brown-eyed beauty to return her time and focus to her husband-to-be and the most anticipated wedding of the year.

"I'll be right back," Hanna announced, "Quick trip to the ladies' room.

"Okay. Leave your purse at the table," Spencer ordered.

"What? Why?" the blonde inquired.

Spencer gave Hanna the don't-play-dumb-with-me look. The smarter girl reached across the table and pried the oversized, expensive bag from her friend's fingers with ease. She opened it to reveal a flask residing inside.

_Busted_! Hanna couldn't look Spencer in the eyes. Her friends knew her all too well.

"Han, I'm doing this for your own good. I need you sober and focused tomorrow. I know you're extremely nervous and scared, but everything is going to be fine. I promise," Spencer assured.

Hanna exhaled and smiled. "Okay, okay. I know; you're right. Thanks, Spence."

"Anytime, Blondie."

Another eye-roll from Mona went unnoticed.

"This is my first time at this restaurant," Mona avowed. "Mind if I come with you?"

"Sure," Hanna replied and led the way.

When Hanna and Mona were alone in the lavender-scented room, Mona extracted a flask from her purse and dutifully handed it to the blonde.

"No, I can't; I shouldn't. Spencer said…" Hanna began.

Mona interrupted, "Hey, I'm your lawyer, too. I can tell how nervous you are about tomorrow. One sip will do no harm. I have a glass before court all the time; it really does help. It's just liquid courage."

"Okay. One sip," Hanna agreed.

That one sip turned into Hanna transferring all of the vodka into her system. Mona didn't stop her; she encouraged it.

Mona returned to the table before Hanna. While Spencer exchanged texts with Toby, Aria's attention had been captured by Emily's plans for Cody's upcoming birthday. These distractions allotted Mona the opportunity to switch her alcoholic beverage with Hanna's club soda. Because both drinks were clear and she already had the taste of vodka embedded in her taste buds, Hanna couldn't detect the difference, unknowingly further intoxicating herself.


	6. Incompetent

**Chapter 6 – Incompetent**

"Counselor?" the judge called, her tone laced with heavy impatience.

Spencer produced a false smile. She claimed, "Your Honor, I apologize for my co-counselor's tardiness. I just need fifteen minutes…"

"You said that fifteen minutes ago," the judge ruled. "Since the defense's lead attorney is absent, that makes both sides minus one attorney. You're even. We will proceed with the trial starting now."

"But your Honor…" Spencer whined.

Her words were muted by the banging of the judge's gavel. It was official now; the trial had begun. Spencer had stalled as long as she could to wait for Mona, because the smaller attorney was responsible for obtaining a copy of Wren's resignation letter from Rosewood Memorial's Human Resources department.

"You may call your first witness, Ms. Hastings," the judge announced.

Spencer took a deep breath before standing up. The show had to go on. Besides, she was a Hastings; she could wing it… maybe.

"I would like to call Dr. Wren Kingston to the stand," she enunciated.

As soon as the declarative eluded her larynx, the defense attorney shrieked, "Objection!"

"On what grounds?" Spencer wondered.

"Dr. Kingston is unfit to testify based on the probability of a biased testimony," she elucidated.

Hanna was sitting next to Spencer; the blonde leaned in and whispered in an exaggerated slur, "Uh, English?"

"She's trying to say Wren shouldn't testify, because he might lie," Spencer explained.

"Counselors, approach the bench," the judge ordered.

Spencer and the hospital's attorney walked up to the perimeter of the judge's desk.

"Explain your objection," she said.

The redhead attorney presented a piece of paper to the judge. She declared, "I'd like to submit this into evidence. It's a copy of Dr. Kingston's termination papers."

"Termination papers?" Spencer questioned.

Her rival smiled, "Yes, termination papers. Because he was fired by the hospital, he may say anything to exact revenge on his former employer."

"First of all, he wasn't fired," Spencer retorted. "Secondly, your document has to be fake, because he resigned."

"Got any proof to back up that claim?" the defense lawyer investigated.

Spencer's eyes quickly averted towards the double doors of the courtroom. She was praying and hoping and wishing that Mona would burst through those doors and save the day.

_Any moment now_, Spencer thought.

"Well, do you?" the judge questioned.

Spencer stole another glance across the room. Still, no Mona.

"Uh, I do, but… but it's in the hands of my co-counselor…"

"But her co-counselor is MIA. In other words, your Honor, she means it doesn't exist," the redhead bragged.

"It does!" the brunette irritably exclaimed.

The judge nodded her head in a dismissive manner. "I'm sorry, but unless you can present something contradicting the defense's evidence at this very moment, I have no choice but to uphold the objection. Dr. Kingston is prohibited to testify. Call your next witness."

"Bu-bu-but…" Spencer stuttered.

"Call your next witness!" the judge howled.

The opposing attorney gave Spencer a sly smirk before returning to her seat. Spencer marched back to her side where Hanna was seated.

"Whaaat just happened?" Hanna asked in a slurred manner when she noticed the frustrated expression on her attorney's face.

"Minor setback," Spencer simply stated, although that was far from the truth. It was a major problem, but she didn't want to alarm her friend. Spencer cleared her throat to regain a confident tone as she spoke aloud, "I call my next witness, Mrs. Hanna Marin-Rivers, to the stand."

Hanna popped up quickly from her seat and stood in place. The judge and as well as the other people in the courtroom just stared as the blonde stood frozen in place and twirled her curly locks around her finger.

After several seconds, the judge annoyingly asked, "Are you going to move?"

"Nooo," she slurred. "Pency just said stand, so I'm standing."

Spencer pointed across the room. "I called you to take the witness stand."

"Now, Pency, why would I steal the stand if there's a witness around?" Hanna laughed and hiccupped.

The judge face palmed while the defense attorney laughed aloud.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you sound like a five-year-old?" Spencer whispered. "Oh, never mind. We'll discuss that later. Just go take the stand."

Hanna walked towards the designated area. The most accurate term to describe what her legs were doing would be _trembling_. Everyone watched as she stumbled across the floor, nearly falling twice.

The bailiff extended the bible towards Hanna and instructed her to place her right hand on it. She slammed her left on it.

"Your right hand, miss," he reiterated.

It took her three tries before she finally got it. Spencer frowned up, noticing how off Hanna had been all morning.

The bailiff proceeded, "Now, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"You forgot the other part when you say _for better or for first, for richer, for slower, in sickness and in wealth, to love and to perish_…" Hanna slurred.

The judge was irritated with Hanna's playfulness. She banged her gavel to get Hanna's attention.

"Ahh," Hanna shrieked. "Damn it, lady. Do you mind? I have a headache, like, this fricking big." The blonde proceeded to illustrate the intensity of her migraine by spacing her hands out, like children do.

Nearly every soul in attendance gasped, including Spencer. She couldn't believe Hanna just used profanity in court; worse of all, it was aimed at the judge!

The judge's eyes widened and her nostrils flared. "Are you drunk?" she quizzed. It was a rhetorical question, but Hanna replied anyway.

"No," Hanna responded. Spencer exhaled in relief; for a second there, she thought maybe her friend was. But then Hanna continued, "I was drunk last night. Now I'm just hung over like hell."

Spencer was so tempted to crawl under the table and cry her pretty brown eyes out. Especially considering the condemning look the judge was sharing with her now. If looks could kill, Spencer would be dead three times, because her parents were also present to see their shining star in action.

"Get Mrs. Rivers off my witness stand now!" the judge demanded. "I rule her unfit to testify!"

"Is the wedding over already?" the impaired woman asked.

The opposing counselor had been snickering at Spencer's unsuccessfulness the entire time. The brunette was so tempted to leap across the room and slap that smirk right off her freckled face.

The redhead attorney stood up and spoke. "Your Honor, as you can see, the plaintiff has no witnesses, no evidence… frankly, she has no merit to proceed with this lawsuit. I'm requesting this case be dismissed effective immediately."

"No!" Spencer shouted.

"I'm inclined to grant the defense's request, because you haven't presented anything of the essence this morning, Ms. Hastings," the judge illustrated.

"Your Honor, I can and will prove to you and this courtroom that there is a case here and that the hospital is responsible for the passing of my clients' infant," Spencer announced.

The judge replied, "We'll see. You have one week. If you don't present any credible evidence then, Ms. Hastings, I **will** dismiss this case. We are recessed until next week. Court is adjourned."

Spencer quickly packed up her documents, stuffing them frantically into her briefcase. She couldn't wait to run out of that courtroom. The embarrassment was suffocating her.

The defense attorney trekked towards her side of the courtroom, all the while sporting a sly smirk. She was loving her luck this morning.

She sneered, "No one at my firm really believed our lead attorney when she said she could beat the great Spencer Hastings, especially considering the fact that the last time you two faced off in court, you demolished her. Everyone at the firm thought she was all bark and no bite, because she called in this morning—the very first day of court—claiming she has the flu. But she faxed over some paperwork and said this shit was going to be a piece of cake. And oh my God, she was helluva right. And the best part, she is…" she paused for dramatic effect. "She is kicking your ass and she's not even here."

Spencer slammed her briefcase closed, yanked it off the table, and proceeded to walk away. Before she could, the other lawyer blocked her exit.

"Here's a message from my lead attorney," the redhead smiled, "Get used to losing, Hastings, because this is just the tip of the iceberg, doll."

_Damn, where have I heard that phrase before?_ Spencer wondered. She was too frustrated to really think about it. She rolled her eyes and forced her way past the snooty lawyer.

A slight smile appeared on Spencer's face as she left the courtroom. Today had surely started off on an extremely sour note, but thankfully, she had a wonderful fiancé to go home to who would go against all odds to make her feel better. A smile emerged on her face as she thought about Toby.

Her parents appeared before her, their arms folded across their chests and eyes fixated on their daughter. Her smile dispersed.

"Meet us back at the firm… now!" her mom sternly demanded.

She thought court was horrific. Wait until her meeting with them. It was like: out of the frying pan and into the inferno.

Where is Toby when you need him?


	7. Mistakes

**Chapter 7 – Mistakes**

Mona peeked from the narrow slit of her office door, lowly snickering at the unpleasant expression on Spencer's face as she walked towards her own office, followed by her parents who were not fans of what they witnessed in court just moments ago. When Spencer's door shut, Mona tiptoed across the spacious hall towards her co-counselor's door. She planted her ear to the wooden barrier to try to hear some of the arguing.

Veronica Hastings was interrogating her daughter, somewhat harshly. The firm invested a lot of money and faith into this high profile case, and winning it would not only ranked in some big bucks, but it was also great publicity and would attract new clients by the dozens.

Mona was too occupied with eavesdropping that she hadn't noticed the male who stepped off the elevator and was heading in her direction.

"Uh, hello?" he greeted but in a questionable manner, curious about what she was doing.

Mona played it cool, although she knew she was busted. She backed away from the door and turned around to face the one whom the voice belonged to. When her brown eyes met a set of shiny azure ones, a flirty smile emerged on her face.

"Well hello," her fruity voice replied, all the while displaying all of her pearly whites with her larger than life smile. "I'm Mona Vanderwaal, one of Addison's…" Mona began falsely coughing, rather loudly and roughly, to distract him from noticing her mistake. "Excuse me," she said when she finished. "Now where was I? Oh, yes. I'm Mona Vanderwaal, one of Hastings and Smith's best attorneys. Actually, the correct phrase is I am the best," she giggled.

Toby's left eyebrow shot up. He was a nice guy, so he decided to keep his comment to himself.

"Uh, yes, I remember you. My fiancé hired you for the Rivers' case," he stated.

Mona's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She remembered Spencer getting hot and heavy with a shirtless man. Her eyes had become so engrossed with the well-defined lines of his crisp abs that day that she hadn't caught a glimpse at his face. Now that she was looking at him face-to-face, she was even more mesmerized. He was gorgeous from head to toe.

Now she understood why Spencer was getting it on so early in the morning. This man was irresistible.

It was never a part of Mona's plan to ruin Spencer's love life, but her agenda just got revised now that she saw this handsome being.

"Earth to the little lady," Toby sang when he realized his question went unanswered because Mona had zoned out.

"I'm sorry," she smiled and discreetly licked the line of drool off the corner of her lips. "What were you saying?"

"I asked where Spencer is," he repeated.

"Oh. She's in her office."

Toby moved towards his fiancé's office, but Mona slid her small frame in front of him. Toby stepped back—far back—from her. He didn't want anyone misreading the sight.

"She's in a meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Hastings, and I'm certain neither of the three are in the mood for any company. No one is in a good mood right now," Mona expounded with a smirk, knowing that she was the reason for the Hastings' clan sour mood.

"Why? What happened?" he wondered.

"Court was a disaster; Spencer was not on her A-game this morning. She lost our star witness's credibility. She lacked essential evidence. The most damaging portion was she put our client on the stand, whom was not in any condition to testify because she was still under the influence from last night."

"Spencer let Hanna drink alcohol last night?" Toby questioned in disbelief. His fiancé was a perfectionist; she would never permit her client to do such a thing on the eve of a court appearance. Something wasn't right.

Mona nodded. "I think so."

"After her parents are done with her, she's going to be so distraught. Oh damn, I think she's out of her antidepressants," Toby said to himself. "Hey Mona, tell Spencer I stopped by and I'll be back. I'm stopping by the pharmacy to pick up her refill."

_Another opportunity_, screamed the imaginary miniature devil on Mona's shoulder.

"Actually, Toby!" Mona's stentorian voice pierced the air to stop him before he walked away. "I will be happy to pick up her prescription for you. I was running an errand near the pharmacy anyway," she fibbed.

"If it's not too much trouble…" Toby stated.

Mona waved her hand to dismiss this being a problem for her. "No, it won't. It'll be my pleasure. Besides, we are all playing for the same team and need to keep our most valuable player in perfect condition."

"You're right," the carpenter nodded. "Thank you."

As soon as Mona walked away—with another trick up her sleeve—the door of Spencer's office opened. Out came her parents with their serious Hastings expressions plastered on their faces and past right on by him like he was invisible. When it came to business, nothing else mattered to Veronica and Peter. They embedded their blood, sweat, and tears into founding the firm and would go to the extremes to keep it afloat. Even threatening to take their daughter off the case if one more mishap occurred.

Toby slipped into the spacious corner office. The sight he witnessed broke his heart.

Behind her desk sat a distressed Spencer with her head barricaded into her palms. As he neared her, he could see streams of water seeping between her fingers. One thing Spencer rarely did was cry. So when she did, she must've really felt defeated.

Toby rounded her desk until he was on the same side as she was. He reached down, permitting his fingers to encircle her wrist. She looked up, startled by his presence. He gently tugged on her hands until she surrendered to his advances. He pulled her into his embrace and caressed her back while she cried.

"Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong…" she began to state amongst her light sobs.

"Shhh," he cooed. "You don't have to tell me. I know what happened. I'm sorry you had to go through that. But don't worry; you'll get them next time, tiger."

Spencer retracted her head from his now soiled shirt to look up at her taller companion.

"Oh my God! Was it on the news? Now everyone is going to think I'm a failure!" she panicked.

"No, no, no, no, no. Baby, calm down. It wasn't on the news. The other lawyer on this case informed me. No one outside of your circle knows what happened in court. Even if they did, no one will think you're a failure. You're awesome. Do you hear me? You are an awesome lawyer, and everyone knows that," Toby enlightened.

Spencer's emotions kept her from realizing something important: Mona knew all the details of what happened in court, but she wasn't present. How was that possible? Not investigating this was a big mistake on Spencer's part.

But her biggest mistake had yet to occur. It would, though… in just a few moments.

A small smile emerged on her face, growing slightly wider when his lips landed on her cheeks to kiss away her tears.

There were so many things she wanted to say to him right now, to express her utmost gratitude for his solace. But her throat was too hoarse from weeping for a lengthy monologue so she kept it simple.

"I love you," she amicably enunciated.

"I love you, too, Spencer Awesome Hastings," Toby reciprocated.

Spencer looked down to hide her bashful grin. Toby placed his fingers under her chin and alleviated her face back upwards to stare into her chocolate globes. He enclosed the space between their faces until their lips collided.

It had been a while since the two shared any type of affection, because their schedules had them all over the place and left very little time for intimacy. So when their lips meshed and tongues danced, the overdue passion encrypted within made an outstanding cameo.

As always, the world continued to cockblock.

The door of her office opened, causing the pair to break away from each other.

Toby sighed profusely, his frustrated grunts inquiring _how many times do I have to tell you, Spence? It's not the 1950s; lock your doors._

But Spencer missed his telepathic lecture, because her eyes glared at one of the occupants standing in her doorway. There stood Mona and Wren.

"I'm back from picking up your prescription, Spencer. I ran into Dr. Handsome in the lobby; he wishes to speak to you," Mona proclaimed.

"Spen-sah," he began, preparing to explain.

She was so furious with Wren, because she thought he lied to her about how his employment ended with the hospital. Because of that, the case blew up in her face in court today, and there was a strong possibility that she would lose the lawsuit.

At this moment was when Spencer unknowingly made one of her biggest mistakes that would come back to haunt her significantly—in just a few days.

She launched in his direction while screaming "**I'm going to kill you**!"

Thank goodness Toby was present. Spencer didn't get far, because his strong arms prevented her from attacking Wren.

"No, Spen-sah. They were fibbing in court. I wasn't fired; I resigned," Wren truthfully admitted.

Spencer was squirming in Toby's arms, trying to break loose and get her hands on Wren. The poor man was still attempting to explain.

Realizing his fiancé wasn't listening, Toby interceded, "Dude! Another time! Try talking to her another time… you know, like, when she's not trying to rip your head off!"

Wren's lips parted to try again, because he didn't do anything wrong and he didn't lie and he wanted Spencer to know that. Ultimately, he followed Toby's advice and exited before Spencer clawed his eyes out.

Mona was still in the doorway, watching Toby calm Spencer down. She placed the Rite Aid bag on Spencer's desk. Behind her fake concerned expression over her co-counselor's meltdown was a winning smile. She reached down and pressed the END button on her iPhone to stop recording.

What she recorded would come back to bite Spencer in the ass. (Hint hint: the story's summary)


	8. Apologies

**Chapter 8 – Apologies **

Being the workaholic that she was, Spencer wanted to stay at work and begin working on ways to revive her doomed case. Of course, being the charmer that he was, Toby pouted until she gave in to those beautiful, irresistible blue swirls of manipulation and opted to call it an early day.

Once the duo loaded up his tan Chevrolet, Toby took a deep breath before speaking. He was about to ask Spencer to do something that she absolutely despised doing.

"Spence… Honeybun…" he began in a cooing tone to try to butter her up. "You know that… that… you have to… um…" he whispered the next word because he was afraid of her reaction. "To Wren," he concluded.

"Have to what?" she inquired.

He coughed, "Apologize."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. What was that?" she wondered.

"I said, um…" he sped through the word again. "Apologize."

"APOLOGIZE?!" she shrieked.

Her sudden heightened voice was so hard that it ricocheted off the windshield, scaring him. He cursed himself internally for starting this in the car, because he couldn't win her over with his pouting while driving.

"Yeah, baby. Apologize. You went all reality-TV-crazy on him up here. Even I was scared, and I wasn't your target. I'm surprise he didn't poop on himself; I almost did."

"No, Toby, no. I will not apologize. He lied to me, and his lie damaged the case so badly that I don't think it can be revived. Hanna and Caleb are going to be absolutely devastated if I lose this case, and my parents will never look at me the same."

"Spencer, I know you have a lot riding on this, but you really need to…"

"Do. Not. Say. It. Don't tell me to calm down," she ordered. "A baby died. Do you understand that? An innocent, sweet little baby died! We never got to see her beautiful blue eyes or hear her laugh or hold her and never let go…"

By this time, a cascade of waterworks saturated her ivory skin and her volume lessened until her brittle voice had been replaced by sobs. Thankfully, the traffic light turned red. Toby stopped the vehicle and placed the gear stick in park. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across the console to embrace his weeping lady.

"Shh," he whispered delicately, "it's going to be okay."

Spencer's prior monologue contained a double meaning. Of course, she wanted to help her best friend and her husband seek justice for the loss of their little one. But her emotions often crossed over because Spencer was still grieving over the loss of her own little one.

Several months ago, Spencer suffered a miscarriage before she got the chance to tell Toby they were going to be parents. She had taken a test the day before the fatal incident with Ian and it came back positive. She scheduled a doctor's appointment for the following week, because she wanted to be certain she was really pregnant before disclosing this secret with Toby.

Well…

When she went to the doctor, he confirmed that Spencer was pregnant. Key word: was. The horrific brawl with Ian was too much trauma for a developing fetus in the first trimester. She miscarried.

Toby never knew.

Trying to cope with that secret alongside the aftermath of Toby getting shot was more than even a Hastings could bare, thus explaining her reasoning for taking antidepressants.

When Hanna lost Haven, it was like she was reliving her loss all over again. Spencer couldn't punish Ian for making her lose her bundle of joy because he was dead, but she could chastise the hospital for their neglect.

"I'm making a rule for tonight," Toby decreed. "No more talk about work for the rest of the evening. Tonight, you shall relax and I shall pamper you."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Agreed?" he asked with his pinky finger extended.

Her smile widened as she linked her little finger with his. "Agreed."

The light turned green—just in time, because Toby was anxious to get home and please his fiancé in so many ways that she would have to beg him to stop the goodness.

…

Spencer was laughing so hard that she was crying. After they made it home, Toby opened her door for her—as always—but to her surprise, he enveloped her and tossed her over his shoulder. He carried her into the building. She was laughing the entire time, because his confident strides weakened when he read the _Temporarily_ _Out of Order_ sign on the elevator and realized he had to carry her up five flights.

Keeping his Tarzan faux up, he completed the task—a little out of breath, but completed it nonetheless.

Once inside their place, he deposited her on the sofa and ordered her to stay put until he returned.

He kidnapped a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the kitchen before dashing down the hall towards their bathroom. He rinsed the circular tub thoroughly before filling it with water and adding her favorite scented bubble bath. While it filled, he blanketed the tile floor with artificial rose petals. He lit a few candles before turning off the lights.

While he browsed ITunes on his phone for the perfect song to serenade them, Spencer had gotten up to answer the front door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"The prettier and smarter Hastings," Melissa teased.

Spencer exhaled deeply, trying to mentally prepare herself for the fight she was certain was about to happen between them over Spencer going ape-shit on Wren. She opened the door and braced herself.

Surprisingly, there was no yelling or clawing. Just handing.

"What's this?" Spencer asked about the paper Melissa handed her.

"An official copy of Wren's resignation letter from Rosewood Memorial," she explained.

"Resignation?"

"Yes. Resignation, not termination," she repeated. "When my husband came home today, he looked like he had pooped on himself. He said court didn't go well, and that you blamed him."

Spencer nodded.

Melissa continued, "He's telling you the truth. The hospital did not fire him. They needed him; they were extremely understaffed. I convinced him to quit, because the hospital refused to pay him more but they wanted him to work more. He resigned and joined me running the clinic."

While Melissa explained, Spencer skimmed the document in her hands.

"This is fake. Isn't it?"

"No!" Melissa honestly replied. "I got that from the hospital. I went there, told them I was Mrs. Kingston, and needed a copy of my husband's resignation papers."

"But the defense said they got a copy of his termination papers from the hospital," Spencer acknowledged.

Melissa shook her head no. "That's impossible, because the receptionist at the hospital said I was the only person who requested a copy."

"That can't be. My co-counselor was supposed to pick up a copy this morning."

"Apparently she didn't. Did she say why she didn't?" Melissa investigated.

Now that Spencer thought about it, she hadn't spoken to Mona yet about court. Mona hadn't even attempted to explain why she missed court. She hadn't apologized either.

Mentioning apologies…

"Melissa," Spencer sighed, "Will you tell Wren that I am so very extremely sorry for my erratic behavior this morning? And that I didn't mean any of it, especially the threat. I was just so angry. Please let him know that in America, that phrase is just a figure of speech in a moment of reckless thinking."

"I'll relate the message. And for future notice, never threaten my husband again. That's my job," Melissa stated. "Your job…" the woman lost her train of thought and mumbled "…your job looks fun."

Spencer realized Melissa was staring past her, so she swiveled around to see what caused the sudden distraction. And of course, it would be Toby… without a shirt on. He had returned to claim his prized possession.

Spencer turned her attention back towards her sister and waved a finger in her face.

"Nuh-uh. That show is for my eyes only."

"One more peek!" Melissa joked as Spencer started closing the door.

"For future notice, never drool over the sight of my future husband again. That's my job," she informed her sister half-joking/half-serious. "Oh, tell my Sweet Pea that her auntie Pency loves and misses her so very much."

"Will do. Have fun tonight," Melissa grinned and quickly cut her eyes towards the half-clothed Greek god. "But not_ too much fun_."

"Good night!" Spencer bashfully squealed.

Finally, the door was closed and the couple were alone.

The lawyer turned on her heels to find Toby directly in front of her with the most flirtatious grin on his face. She couldn't determine if it was his dazzling smile or exposed abs, but she was already in the mood for whatever he had in store.


	9. 214

**Chapter 9 – 214 **

Finally, the door was closed and the couple was alone.

The lawyer turned on her heels to find Toby directly in front of her with the most flirtatious grin on his face. She couldn't determine if it was his dazzling smile or exposed abs, but she was already in the mood for whatever he had in store.

"Come to Big Daddy," he toyed.

Spencer rolled her eyes, trying to appear unamused, but a smile emerged nonetheless. "Don't ever ever ever call yourself that again. It's embarrassing."

The duo chuckled.

Just as he did moments prior, he enveloped his fiancé's lean frame and carried her down the hall, despite her protests. Once he entered the bathroom, he used his foot to shut the door before releasing his cargo.

Spencer turned around to take in the romantic scenery. She couldn't conceal the bliss overpowering her; Toby had turned one of the worst days of her life into one of the greatest nights of her life.

There was never a doubt in her mind as to if he loved her. Not only did he tell her how much he loved her on a daily basis, but at every single chance he got, he showed her just how much.

Unbeknownst to her, tears of joy began streaming down her face. Toby came up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist. He placed his head on her shoulder and kiss away her tears before converting to the other side to replicate his action. Meanwhile, his sneaky phalanges were undoing the buttons on her blouse.

As always, Spencer melted in his embrace. The small moans emitting from her larynx increased in appreciation and in volume as his lips journeyed from her cheeks to her neck. By this time, he had her top completely undone. He slid the sheer fabric down her arms with ease. His lips picked up where they left off. From her neck, his trail of wet kisses continued as he voyaged towards her back. As his tongue dragged down her spine, shivers went up her spine.

Toby continued downwards until Skin Street ran into a roadblock, her bra. He unlatched it and tossed it across the room. Down some more until he reached her hips. He unzipped her skirt and watched as it fell to the floor, revealing those stunning legs of hers. A second later, her undies joined the array of discarded clothing.

Spencer turned around to repay the favor. While her lips wrestled with his for domination, she tugged frantically on his belt until it was undone. Unfastened and unzipped, he was out of his jeans with the quickness.

"Race you to the tub," Toby challenged and made a beeline for it.

When she tossed his jeans into oblivion, a folded up piece of paper flew out of one of his pockets. Toby was too focused on beating her to the tub that he hadn't noticed yet. Spencer picked it.

Toby submerged his naked body into the soothing warm water topped with bubbles. He exhaled in bliss loudly. He looked back to see what was taking the beautiful brunette so long. When his turquoise eyes landed on her actions, he nearly choked on air.

"What are you doing?!" he shrieked.

Spencer had picked the folded up piece of paper off the floor; she was about to put it back in his pocket until he screamed at her. She wasn't the type to snoop in her man's things, especially not Toby's things. She didn't need to. She trusted him completely. After all they had been through together, there was no doubt in her mind whether or not his heart was with her.

But she did find his sudden apprehension over the paper suspicious; now she was curious of the context. Impulsively, she unfolded it and read it.

_214 Autumn Lane_

_Bucks County, PA_

"An address," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, just an address," he replied nervously. "May I have it?"

Spencer nodded and handed it to him. As soon as the paper touched his fingers, he placed it over the candle nearest him until the paper vanished into ashes.

"Why did you do that?!" Spencer freaked.

"Because it's just address; it doesn't mean anything."

"Then why are you acting so weird over it?" she interrogated.

"I'm not acting weird over it, Spencer," he tried. Quickly changing the topic, he offered a flirty smile and inquired, "Are you going to continue interrogating me or join me for a night of relaxation and exhilaration?"

That was so un-Toby-like.

First, he got all worked up over that address and now he seemed to be avoiding her questions. Spencer was a lawyer; she was used to people hiding things from her, so she always kept her guard up and looked for signs of lying. Things started off that way with Toby… in the beginning. But he soon proved that he was sincere and could be trusted.

So what was his deal now?

Spencer sashayed across the room and joined him in the spacious circular tub. A smile emerged on Toby's face, as he thought her suspicious had subsided. He enclosed the distance between them, readying his lips to meet hers.

He wasn't getting off the hook that easily. Just when his lips were a millisecond away from hers, Spencer announced, "Answer this one question and then you can have all the kisses you want."

Toby retracted himself from within her closeness. He signed in annoyance. "Is this about that stupid address again?"

"No, it's about the dinosaurs that roamed the earth 65 million years ago," she sarcastically replied. "Of course it's about the address. Whose address is it?"

"It's... Spencer, it's just an address to... to, um, to a home we were contracted to build, but the owner changed his mind at the last minute. I... I guess I forgot the paper was in my pocket," he timidly addressed in a swivet.

"Why didn't you just say that at first?" she investigated.

Toby shrugged. "I... I guess I forgot. I told you, it wasn't important."

"Oh... ok," she progressively replied.

The blue-eyed man smiled briefly, assuming her heightened suspicious senses were subsiding.

"Since those plans fell through, what are you guys working on now?" she asked, just making conversation to eliminate the sudden awkward silence.

"Mr. Sweeny has us completing repairs to the elementary school in Bucks County that sustained damage from Hurricane Sandy," he stated. "Enough about work, please. We are supposed to be relaxing."

And with that declaration, Toby reached under the water until he found what he was looking for. He raised her leg above water level and placed it in his lap. His moist fingers travelled down her legs, deliberating zigzagging across her flesh in a teasing manner. A grin made a cameo on her face; it was probably the only one smile she'd produce all day.

Spencer just couldn't believe there was a time in her life before Toby came into it. It was as if those days were fictional, because she felt like she hadn't started truly living until his arrival into her life. Now she was thought about it, the boy had impeccable timing. She reminisced about their first encounter.

_Spencer averted her eyes to meet his. For a second, she forgot her responding statement as she became entrapped in his alluring blue swirls. "I'm not a secretary. If you must know, I'm an attorney."_

_The astonished expression that surfaced on his face made Spencer smile._

_"You're a lawyer?" he asked for assurance._

_Spencer nodded. If her parents were around, they would add a laundry list of adjectives to the title, reciting the magazine article she was featured in. She handed him her glossy business card with her name embossed in gold manuscript in the center hovering over an enchanting photo of her. Verifying she was who she said she was, he nodded in approval._

_"Wow," he proclaimed. "You look kind of young though."_

_Spencer got that a lot, so she said this a lot, "I was pre-law in preschool."_

_The male's stomach contracted ferociously as he laughed like a hyena at her clever comeback. "Well that's just great, because I need a really, really great lawyer."_

_"Call and schedule an appointment with my secretary Monday," she informed him as she opened the door for him._

_"Will do, Mrs. Hastings," he said, recalling her name from her business card._

_"Miss," she corrected him. "It's just Miss Hastings."_

_Spencer didn't know why she felt the need to correct him—to inform him she wasn't married. She shook off the thought and locked the door behind her. Her hero had gotten a few feet away when he turned around and noticed her limping. That's when he remembered her broken heel. And he knew her vehicle was parked at the rear of the building, so she had a long way to walk. The November weather was too chilly for her to take her other boot off to even the leverage._

_"Hey… I can, uh, carry you to your car, if you want," he apprehensively suggested when he caught up to the brunette._

_"No, I'm fine. Thank you," she politely replied, but really wanted to take him up on his offer._

_He watched as she struggled to keep her balance on her one high heel. The scene was comical to him. But his grin quickly dispersed when she almost fell. Before she could protest, he had her in his arms bridal style._

_"Excuse me, sir, this is not proper-"_

_"Toby," he interrupted her. "My name is Toby Cavanaugh."_

_"Well, Mr. Cavanaugh," she snapped, "this isn't appropriate for-"_

_"We're here," he announced as he returned her to the cement. "You're welcome," he sneered._

_Spencer sucked her teeth as she thanked him for all of his protective services. Granting her one last view of his gorgeous sapphire colored eyes, Toby had walked away with promises to schedule an appointment next week. She entered her black Mercedes Benz and waited for the car to warm up._

_Toby, she thought. He was quite feisty and bold, but in a calm manner. He reminded her of herself somewhat. _

_She liked him already. The feeling was mutual from him as well. _

That was the final day of Garrett's trial when the jury found him not guilty on charges of arson and attempted murder of Jenna Marshall; that was the day Spencer started to resent her career because she realized she'd helped a criminal get away. That was the day she started to hate herself.

But what started off as a horrendous day metamorphosed into one of the greatest days of her life, because that was the day she met her best friend, her soulmate, her husband-to-be... her everything.

She knew Toby mirrored that same level of pure, unconditional love for her. He went above and beyond for her and never complained.

They had that Romeo and Juliet love. Fortunately, their story didn't end that way. It ALMOST did with Ian's desperate measures to keep his dirty little secret hidden, but thankfully, that monster had been slain.

If only they knew a new antagonist had been secretly introduced into their lives: one who was hellbent on Spencer's destruction. She was so clever, because she was concocting all this chaos right under Spencer's nose. Spencer was on high alert now, but she was blind to the obvious.

But there was always light at the end of tunnel to guide the superb attorney to the truth. And that light was Toby.

Spencer noticed how nervous her finding that paper made him; instantly, she was under the impression he had something to hide. He said it wasn't important, but his reactions opposed that.

Spencer tossed those assumptions into the back of her mind... far away... into the darkest corner of her mind... because those thoughts were irrational. Toby had nothing to hide.

Or so she thought...

She alleviated her eyes to meet his. As the candle light danced across his smooth skin, playing with his features, and illuminated his cerulean irises, she retrieved his inner emotions. In his eyes, there was love for her. There was admiration for her. There was a husband for her.

She leaned forward and permitted him that kiss she'd foolishly rejected earlier. He broadcasted a goofy toothy grin as he continued to massage her feet, gradually working his way uptown as they continued to feast on each other's lips.

"Hmm… now that's my girl," he moaned into her mouth while enjoying the taste of her strawberry flavored lip gloss.

~:~

**AN: This chapter holds a major clue. If you're still reading this story, please enlighten me on your theories & predictions.**


	10. Nevermore

**Chapter 10 – Nevermore**

Spencer giggled in her sleep, enjoying the moist friction from a tongue licking the side of her face.

"Ohh, Tow-bee," she moaned as she gradually began to awaken. "You want more already?" she teased.

Last night, Toby catered to Spencer like his life depended on her satisfaction. He knew his fiancé had a lot on her plate, more than she could bare. In addition to all the pressure her parents had placed on her to win the lawsuit, she was also trying to plan her wedding. She was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Being the dutiful companion he was, Toby took notice of this and decided to intervene.

He gave her one hell of a massage. His fingers didn't leave an inch, not even a centimeter, of skin unattended to; and neither did his lips. Spencer was on cloud nine.

But he wasn't done with her yet.

Always showing off his Hercules traits, he carried his bare cargo to their bedroom and…. Let's just say: the boy took care of business. He catered to her every need, her every want, her every desire.

To say she was still on cloud nine would be inaccurate. She was on cloud ninety!

Spencer stretched and yawned before turning over to face the one tasting her flesh. When her coffee colored eyes landed upon the one occupying the space before her, she screamed in astonishment.

"What are you doing in my bed?" she scowled.

Fluffy meowed before licking her face again.

"Oh, you're hungry. Okay. Let's see if we can get your daddy to feed you… and me too," she smiled. "Toby?" she called as she began to sit up in bed.

No response. She tried again. Still, silence fell upon her.

She glanced at the clock. There was a yellow sticky note attached to it.

_Morning, beautiful! Left early 4 work 2day, so I can get off early 2 make Cody's bday party this afternoon. I'll meet u there. Missing u already. Love u._

_4ever yours, T_

Spencer kicked a pillow off the bed in disappointment; she wanted to wake up in his arms and stay there all day. She was still exhausted from all the services Toby's lovemaking machine had to offer last night. Exhausted in a good way though. She felt so exhilarated. So euphoric. So overwhelmed. So happy. She was so damn happy. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.

The last thing she wanted to do was go to work and remember how stress felt. So, she called her secretary and informed her she would be taking a personal day.

It wasn't like she would be missing anything important. The only case she was working on was Hanna's; thanks to Melissa, she was no longer worried about that case. Wren could be restored as an expert witness now that she was in possession of his resignation letter. Melissa said the clerk at the hospital said no one else had obtained a copy of that letter.

_Mona was supposed to. I wonder why she didn't_. Spencer thought. _I'll talk to her about that and why she never made it to court tomorrow. Today is my day._

Spencer fell backwards and disappeared under the blankets. She rolled over to Toby's side of the bed. She buried her nose into his pillow and inhaled his manly scent. She missed him.

She missed him so much that she couldn't wait until after he got off of work to see him. She decided to make him lunch and take it to him; a small token of her appreciation for all of the wonderful things he'd done for her and all of the mind-blowing things he'd done to her last night.

~:~

It was a quarter to noon when Spencer pulled into the parking lot of the elementary school in Bucks County. She grabbed the bagged lunch she made before exiting her Mercedes. She walked over to the middle aged who was unloading materials from the bed of an old pickup.

"Hey, Mr. Sweeny," Spencer greeted when she approached him.

"Hi, Spencer. Nice to see you," he smiled. "So, when's the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date yet, but when we do, you'll be amongst the first to know," she enlightened.

"Happy to hear that," he grinned. "I'd be even happier if you tell me you're here to tell me that my Golden Boy will be returning to work soon."

"He took his lunch break already? Darn it. I brought his lunch."

"Lunch break?" Mr. Sweeny questioned.

"Yeah. Is he on his lunch break already?"

"Toby's not on his lunch break."

"Oh, okay. Great," she grinned. "Is it okay if he takes it now? I promise not to keep him too long."

Sweeny scratched his head; he was confused. "Spencer, Toby's not here."

"What do you mean he's not here?" Spencer inquired. She, too, was confused.

"He's not here," he informed. "I wish he was; you know that kid is my best worker. I can't wait until his doctor clears him to come back to work. Do you have any idea when that may be?"

An immediate frown appeared on Spencer's face. She was extremely muddled now. What was Mr. Sweeny talking about? Toby's doctor had already cleared him to return to work. She remembered him telling her this just a few days ago; she remembered how excited he was.

_Spencer took Toby's hand in hers and walked down the hall for privacy._

_"I am so sorry…" she began._

_Even though he said "it's okay," his tone suggested otherwise._

_"I really am sorry, babe. It was a last minute decision to hang out with the girls tonight, but if I had known what you had planned…"_

_He interrupted, "Then it wouldn't have been a surprise. Spence, it is okay. It's no big deal. I just wanted to celebrate the good news—after I left your office this morning, I went for my checkup. My doctor gave me the green light to return to work next week."_

_Spencer exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Toby! That's so good!"_

_It was good. Toby loved his job as a carpenter and couldn't wait to return to work. However, it meant that he'd be working long days and often times, out of town for prolonged periods of time. That was why he was looking forward to a romantic night tonight, because soon they'd both be working twelve to thirteen hours a day._

"Mr. Sweeny, so you're telling me that Toby hasn't been to work at all this week?" Spencer investigated.

The elderly man nodded.

Spencer's heart fell apart. She tried her best to mask her emotions with a smile to cover her shock. She quickly made up an excuse to leave and waved Mr. Sweeny goodbye. As she walked back to her car, a million questions, a million assumptions, and a million thoughts stampeded her mind.

_Toby hasn't been to work at all this week?!_ She thought. _He's been leaving the house every damn day. So, where the hell has he been going?!_

_Wait. Calm down. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this. Just calm down before you drum up some crazy accusation like you always do_, advised Spencer's subconscious.

_Crazy accusation? It ain't a crazy accusation if it's true! Good explanation, my ass_, shrieked the imaginary miniature devil on her shoulder.

Debating from the other side of her shoulder, her angelic conscious remained positive. _Wherever he is, I'm sure he's not doing anything wrong._

_Boooooo!_ winced her malevolent side. _He is definitely doing something wrong. He left you a note just this morning saying he was going to work. Well here is work and he isn't here. He lied to you, Spencer. He's been lying all week!_

_And I'm sure there's a good explanation for this. THERE HAS TO BE! Toby loves you more than anything in this world, and he'd never do anything to jeopardize losing you. Remember last night. You had these same doubts, but then you came to your senses when you looked into his eyes. Your eyes are the windows to your soul. And they don't lie. Listen to me when I say, THIS CAN'T BE WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE!_

_Ignore that crazy talk, _demanded her hostile side.

"Shut up!" Spencer screamed aloud, causing the nearby construction workers to look at her like she'd lost her mind.

Ashamed, she hurriedly jumped into her car and quickly drove away.

~:~

**A/N:**

**Alright my pretty (or handsome if you're a guy. Any guys reading this story? I'm curious) little detectives, what do you think is really going on? Next chapter, Spencer will share her thoughts with the girls. How will they react? How will they react when Toby walks into the room? Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnnnnn…. Stay tuned!**


	11. SOS

**Chapter 11 – S.O.S.**

Emily's and Maya's backyard was filled with excited children, gossiping adults, booming music, and lots and lots of Bob the Builder themed decorations.

Taylor was chasing Cody around; she wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek for his birthday, but he wouldn't let her, because he said girls had cooties.

Maya and Emily were taking turns recording the toddlers, laughing at their silliness and relishing in the precious moment. They were elated to be the ones responsible for Cody's happiness. Considering the paining story the moms dread explaining to him one day when he was older about his biological parents, the little boy deserved every ounce of bliss he had plus more.

Caleb was flipping burgers and hot dogs on the grill while conversing with Ezra about lame manly stuff.

Hanna, Aria, Jenna and Melissa were sitting on the deck, each debating over who was going to be Spencer's maid-of-honor.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time… except Spencer. She had slipped inside the house to be alone; she wasn't in the mood to party or be social. She was contemplating bailing, but she didn't want to let Cody down. It was his birthday, and of all people, he definitely needed his favorite aunt there.

Spencer had stolen a bottle of wine from Emily's refrigerator and had a glass… or two. When she extended her hand to pour herself another glass, the sunrays beaming through the glass patio door illuminated the large jewel on her left hand. She stared at her engagement ring, as if it held the answers to the questions running rampage in her head.

Was he cheating on her? Was he seeking affection elsewhere because she'd neglected him? Did he still want to marry her? Was he experiencing cold-feet? Was this her fault?

Spencer snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone entering the house through the front door. She jumped off the bar stool and ran to the refrigerator to return the bottle before she was caught. She emptied the remaining alcohol in her glass into the sink just as someone walked into the kitchen.

It was the one she had been thinking about all day. It was Toby.

A smile appeared on his face when he noticed her. She faked one back.

He extended his arms as he approached her and pulled her close. Spencer sniffed, searching for a woman's fragrance. All she got was his manly musk. Her eyes took inventory of his face, neck and shirt, searching for any lipstick stains on him. All she got was sweat and sawdust.

Toby leaned forward with his lips puckered for a kiss. Spencer pulled away, eluding his embrace.

"Hey… is everything okay?" he wondered.

Spencer nodded and forced another false smile.

Toby narrowed his eyes, his gaze transfixed on her. Spencer diverted her eyes to avoid eye contact. Now he knew something was up with her.

"Spence," he called and reached out for her. "Tell me what's on your mind."

There was too much on her mind to articulate. She didn't want to believe what she believed, but she didn't want to ignore it either. All the signs seemed to be right there in her face. His nervousness; his secrecy; his lies.

But what if she was wrong? What if she falsely accuse him?

Their relationship would never be the same.

So for now—now she would keep her suspicions to herself. At least until she came across more convincing evidence. After all, this was Toby Cavanaugh she was dealing with—an extremely trustworthy and reliable man. A man with a heart of gold. A man who wanted to marry her. A man who had taken a bullet for her.

"Nothing," she fibbed. "Nothing is on my mind. Everything is cool."

"Spencer, I know when you're lying…" he proclaimed.

Just before the brunette shouted something she'd regret, the patio door slid open.

"Hey, you two, no making-out. There are children here. Save that for the honeymoon," Aria teased as she made her way to refill the punch bowl.

Toby smiled as he thought about their honeymoon. "Can't wait 'til then," he whispered as he discreetly slapped his fiancé's butt.

"Hey! I saw that!" Aria shrieked. "I said keep it PG around here."

"Yes ma'am, Sheriff Fitz," the carpenter joked. "Hey, babe. I'm going to the bathroom to clean up a little, then see the birthday boy."

"Mm-huh," Spencer nonchalantly mumbled.

Toby attempted to steal a goodbye kiss, but Spencer rejected yet another kiss by walking over towards Aria, asking if she needed help with refreshing the drinks. Toby scratched his head as he walked out of the kitchen, wondering why she was giving him the cold-shoulder.

As soon as he was out of ear-shot, Aria spoke up.

"So… what's going on with you?" she inquired.

"Nothing," Spencer quickly replied.

"Liar, liar. Pants on fire," Aria sang. It was a phrase she'd picked up from her students.

Aria continued, "I'm not oblivious to what just happened. Toby was all touchy-feely-flirty, and you were brushing him off the entire time. I didn't see you smile at all when he was in here; you usually can't stop smiling when he's around. Just hearing his name usually makes you blush," she entailed. "My Sparia senses are tingling; I know something's bothering you. Spill."

A tear cascaded down the taller brunette's face. Aria's words were right on point. When she noticed her friend crying, Aria rushed over and pulled her into her small arms.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Spencer let the cat out of the bag.

"I… I think… Toby's ch-cheating," she winced.

Aria pulled back to look at her distraught friend directly in the eyes.

"What?! You mean, like cheating on a test or cheating on his taxes…" Aria speculated.

"No, I mean, cheating-cheating. Like having an affair," Spencer sobbed.

Aria snatched her cell phone off the counter and frantically started tapping. Two seconds later, Emily and Hanna ran into the kitchen, both out of breath.

"We got your S.O.S.," Emily announced.

"What's going on?" Hanna questioned.

The girls moved in closer and saw how distraught Spencer was.

"It's Toby…" Aria opined. "Spencer think he's being unfaithful."

"If you weren't crying, I'd laugh because I know you'd be joking," Hanna stated.

"Toby loves you. There's just no way he'd cheat on you. No way!" Emily declared.

"Why do you think this?" Aria wondered.

Spencer sighed, trying to calm down so she could explain.

"Today, I went to his job site, because I made his lunch for him. Mr. Sweeny tells me he wasn't there and that he hadn't returned to work since he got shot. His doctor cleared him last week. He's been leaving the house every single day this week, claiming he was going to work. He's being lying to me all week."

Emily was in major disbelief. She had known Toby longer than Spencer had; he was like her fourth best friend. Never had he displayed such dishonorable traits.

"That doesn't mean anything. Lying doesn't equal cheating," Emily proposed. "Everybody knows Toby Cavanaugh loves himself some Spencer Hastings!"

"Apparently, he also loves himself some other bimbo, and I think she lives at 214 Autumn Lane in Bucks County," Spencer decreed. "I found that address in his pocket, and when I asked him about it, he looked like he'd seen a ghost."

Emily ran into her dining room to retrieve her laptop. The second it powered on, she typed the address into Google's search engine. It returned no results. On Google map, there was nothing but an empty lot.

"That address doesn't exist," Emily enlightened.

Spencer was relieved, but not convinced. It still didn't explain his whereabouts all week. Before she could voice that opinion, the man of the hour ran into the kitchen.

"Hide me!" he exclaimed before running behind Spencer and squatting behind her legs.

A second later, two sets of footsteps and small giggles overrode the awkward silence. Into the kitchen ran Cody and Taylor with smiles larger than their tiny round faces.

"Where are Uncle Tow-wee?" Cody asked.

"Well, he's not hiding behind your Auntie Pency, if that's what you're thinking," Hanna answered.

Cody and Taylor looked at each other and smiled. They were smart. They ran around the counter where Spencer was to find him.

Taylor pointed at their target, blissfully shouting, "Tee!"

"Uncle Tow-wee! We finded you! We gotted you sla-clowned!" Cody affirmed in his cute toddler-gibberish.

"You guys are good. Okay, now I'm IT. You two have a five second head start before I unleash the tickle monster," Toby announced. "Five!"

Cody's sparkling blue eyes and Taylor's glowing hazel eyes increased in size due to their excitement. Cody took Taylor's hand and led her out of the kitchen to find a hiding spot.

"Four!" Toby continued. "Three!"

Toby was still positioned behind Spencer. He looked up, his eyes becoming engrossed with her firm backside. "Two very nice Maximus Gluteus," he flirted and cupped the aforementioned area.

"PG rated, mister, PG rated!" Aria reminded him.

"Sorry. She rocked my world last night and it's all I've been thinking about," Toby enlisted. He stood up and planted a quick kiss on Spencer's cheek. "Love you," he whispered before dashing out of the room to find the pair of toddlers.

"Aww," Aria, Emily, and Hanna cooed in unison.

"Okay, now I agree with Em. There's no way he's cheating on you," Aria suggested.

"Me too. He couldn't keep his hands off of you. Caleb needs to take lessons on affection from him," Hanna seconded.

Spencer didn't know what to think. She didn't ever want to believe that he was betraying her. But something wasn't right. She wasn't going to ignore his apprehension over that address; there was more to that story. She was sure of that.

She had to know if his heart was pure before she walked down that aisle and signed over her unconditional love for eternity.

It was obvious all her friends were Team Toby now, so she wasn't going to share her continued suspicions with them. They were going to say she was overthinking things like she always does. So, she faked a smile as if she was convinced.

"Well, now that that's solved, we better get back to the party," Spencer suggested.

The other three nodded and began to head out. Spencer turned around to follow, but stopped abruptly when she noticed an object at her feet. She bent down and retrieved it. It was Toby's cell phone. He must've dropped it when he was hiding behind her.

Cell phones are like diaries. They are the keepers of all secrets. Texts, calls, emails, contacts…

Spencer tapped the screen. His phone was unlocked. If he had something to hide, she'd find it.

Things were about to start tying together for the main event. Spencer thought she had a mystery on her hands, but the real mystery hadn't even begun.

The mystery of another homicide in Rosewood, Pennsylvania.


	12. Surprise

**Chapter 12 – Surprise **

Spencer excused herself from the girls to go to the restroom. Once inside, she pulled Toby's cell phone out of her pocket. She stared at it for what seemed like hours. She was contemplating whether she should go through it or not.

If she did, what would that mean? That she didn't trust him? A relationship can't prosper without trust.

But what if she didn't go through his phone, she would always wonder. She wanted answers; she deserved them. It was apparent he had been lying to her all week, so she wasn't going to ask him anything. His lies validated her reason for going through his phone.

The decision had been made; she was going to do it.

Spencer took a deep breath as she readied herself for whatever surprise may arise. Her palms were sweaty and her hands were shaking. She was so scared. What if the answers to her questions were answers she wasn't ready for?

Regardless, she had to know.

She tapped the screen until it glowed. Her first stop: text messages.

In the past month, Toby had texted three people.

He checked on Jenna periodically to make sure Noel was treating her right. He was very protective of his stepsister after discovering all the hell she went through with her controlling, jealous, crazy stalker ex-boyfriend, Garrett.

A few messages went to and came from Caleb. The shaggy haired fellow was trying to convince Toby to have strippers at his bachelor's party. Toby declined, stating he wanted to make it to the altar, not a grave.

That caused a small smile to erupt on her face.

His most recent text messages included him declaring his love and professing how much he missed the person he was texting; nearly 90% of all his messages were to this one person. Spencer knew who the recipient of these messages were: herself. He spent a lot of time texting her.

Her smile broadened tremendously.

She went through his gallery to see if there was any pictures containing any discriminating evidence. The only person he had photos of were her. Her smiling face graced his wallpaper and screensaver.

Next, she deviated to his emails. A majority of them were from Facebook, notifying him how many people liked his relationship status.

**Toby Cavanaugh **is engaged to **Spencer J. Hastings**.

**Spencer J. Hastings, Hanna Marin-Rivers, Caleb Rivers, Aria Montgomery-Fitz, Ezra Fitz, Emily Fields, Maya Saint Germain, Melissa Hastings-Kingston, Wren Kingston, Jenna Marshall, Noel Kahn, **and 128 others like this.

_Well he is happily flaunting our engagement, which would make it hard for him to cheat,_ Spencer thought. _It's obvious he isn't shy about expressing his love for me. Maybe I should stop snooping._

_No. You've come this far; keep looking, _advised her ill-manner subconscious.

Spencer continued. There was an email from Tasty Treats Inc.; it was the restaurant who was going to cater at the wedding. The email was a receipt of the deposit made to reserve them.

Another email was from the Hilton Hotel in Philadelphia to see if he and Spencer were still interested in booking their grand ballroom for the wedding and reception.

Spencer exited his email feeling like a damn fool. Here she was accusing him of infidelity while he was helping to plan their nuptials. Their nuptials!

"I must be losing my mind! How could I ever accuse him of such a horrible thing?" Spencer said to herself.

Spencer's index finger descended to press the HOME button on his phone to dim its light to conserve the device's battery life when it accidentally touched the icon with a picture of a phone to access his call history.

**Call History**

**SPENCER**, Today at 2:00 P.M.

**(610) 556-4492**, Today at 7:34 A.M.

**SPENCER**, Yesterday at 4:39 P.M.

**CALEB**, Yesterday at 1:09 P.M.

**SPENCER**, Last Friday at 12:05 P.M.

**(610) 556-1027**, Last Friday at 11:20 A.M.

**EMILY**, Last Friday at 10:58 A.M.

**DAD**, Last Wednesday at 6:52 P.M.

**SPENCER**, Last Wednesday at 3:02 P.M.

**(610) 556-8141**, Last Monday at 9:03 A.M.

There it was again, the negative side of her subconscious spewing toxic advice. _What's up with all those calls to unsaved contacts? That's the area code for Bucks County. That address was in Bucks County, too. What a coincidence_!

Spencer tried to shut off her urge of suspicion, but the feeling was overwhelming. She was curious as to his sudden interest in the Bucks County. All these calls took place during the hours he was supposedly at work. Is that where he was when he claimed he was at work? And if so, where exactly in Bucks County was he spending his time? More importantly, why?

_Do it_, advised the imaginary devil on her shoulder, _you know you want to. Do it. Call those numbers and see who picks up._

_No. I trust him._

_You trust a man who's being lying to you for two weeks? Oh, you're such a clever being, Spencer. _

_Shut up!_

_Just call the damn numbers!_

Spencer hit the redial button number next to the phone number Toby had called today. Her heart pulsated vigorously with each ring, anticipation weighing heavily on her. What if a girl picked up?

The ringing stopped. A friendly voice—a girl voice—spoke. Spencer was too busy jumping to so many conclusions that she neglected to hear how the girl answered the phone.

"Hello?" the light voice called after prolonged silence.

"Who are you?!" Spencer asked, her voice coming out raspier and heavier than usual.

"You're speaking to Caroline at your local Lowes Home Improving Store located in Bucks County. How may I assist you today?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; I have the wrong number," Spencer apologized once she realized she'd called Lowes. "Goodbye."

Spencer tried the next unsaved number.

"Thank you for calling the United States Postal Services in Bucks County. My name is Bonnie. What can I do for you today?"

"Sorry. Wrong number," Spencer proclaimed.

Spencer tried the third and final unidentified number.

"Hello. Thank you for calling Bucks County's City Hall. This is Elena Gilbert, Property Dealer and Estate Agent. How may I help you today?"

"Wrong number," Spencer stated before hanging up.

Spencer wanted to slap herself. She was so disgusted with her behavior right now. She had been hiding in the bathroom, snooping through her fiancé's phone, and calling every number like she was a crazy, insecure female. This wasn't like her. She was so embarrassed. She should've known better. He wasn't doing anything foul.

She casted her vote; the verdict was in. He was clean. He was trustworthy. He was honorable.

She was done with the snooping—for good.

"Spence?" a baritone voice called from the other side of the door.

Spencer opened the door to find Toby wandering around.

"Hey, there you are. I've been looking for you; you just disappeared from the party. Is everything ok?" he worried.

"Yes. Everything is perfect," she smiled. Her answer was genuine this time, because she was no longer suspicious of him.

"Are you sure? Because you've been acting a little… uh, weird today," he perceived.

"I, uh," Spencer stumbled until her mind formed a quick lie. "It's just that I haven't been taking my antidepressants; I'm sorry for the mood swings."

Actually, that wasn't a lie. She hadn't taken her meds, because she forgot to take home the refill Mona picked up for her the day before.

"Spen-cer," Toby scorned.

"I know; I know," she said, batting her long lashes in a flirtatious manner to avoid a lecture.

Toby leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You're crazy, but I love your crazy ass," he avowed.

Spencer looked up into his hues of true blues. Her heart swelled in great bliss knowing that he sincerely meant those words to her.

"Je t'aime," she cooed. "And thank you."

"For what?"

"For being amazing and compassionate and caring and thoughtful and honest and… and everything. I just want to thank you for being you. I love you so much, Toby Allen Cavanaugh, so very much.

"Sometimes, I feel like I forget how fortunate I am to have you in my life, and I take you for granted. I'm sorry. I am going to do what I should have been doing all along—putting you first. I've been so caught up in Hanna's case that I've left you with all the wedding plans. Well, move over, mister, because here comes your superwoman.

"I'm ready to set a date for the wedding. I can't wait to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you. Can we get married this month?"

A huge smile covered the carpenter's face. He was overjoyed with her sudden interest.

"I'd love to have the wedding this month, but I don't think your wedding gift will be ready in time. I should have it completed by next month though. How does that sound?" he inquired.

"My wedding gift?" Spencer squealed in delight.

"Yes. It's a surprise," he beamed.

"What is it?"

"Apparently I should exchange it for a dictionary, because you obviously don't know the definition of the term _surprise_," he teased. "I'm not telling you; you'll have to wait."

Spencer pouted. Toby closed his eyes.

"I will not let your cuteness get to me," he sternly decreed. He peeked out of one eye to see she was still pouting. "Will. Not. Tell," he promised.

In addition to playing up her best pouty face, she pressed her body up against his. She swayed her lower half across his. Toby tried to mask the moan that intuitively eluded his lips to pretend as though he wasn't fazed by her antics, but he was buckling under pressure.

"Come on. We've got a party to get back to," Toby reminded her.

Spencer wedged her body between Toby and the door, blocking his exit. Her phalanges met the buttons of her lace blouse and began undoing them.

"We can have our own party in here," she honeyed.

Spencer had spent the entire day thinking the worst, and she felt so guilty for that. Although he wasn't aware of her unpleasant thoughts, she felt the need to make it up to him.

Crinkles formed around the man's eyes as his smile enlarged due to the forthcoming rendezvous. He knew she was using his weakness—her—to get him to cave. Well, he wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to make love to his love, so he grabbed her by her waist and positioned her on the sink. Her miles of legs instinctively enveloped his hips as they helped to discard each other's attire.

Although he gave in to her irresistible beauty, he was solid about not spoiling the surprise. He hated keeping things from her, but this was one thing he had to. He was anxious to spill the beans, but he wouldn't. He had been successful for the past two weeks, and he was sure he could hold on a little longer. He couldn't wait until the day he removed the blindfold from her pretty brown eyes to reveal her wedding gift he'd built for her—her dream house.

**~:~**

**A/N:**

**Spencer returns to work tomorrow; wonder what surprise will greet her there? (We're getting close to who dies now...)**


	13. Revelations

**A/N: I apologize in advance for the feels this chapter may or may not cause. Remember: I'm Team Perfect Spoby!**

**Chapter 13 – Revelations**

When she heard the familiar click-clacking of her boss's heels on the tile floor, Tracey looked up from her computer to see her superior approaching.

"Good morning, Tracey," Spencer greeted her secretary.

"Good morning," Tracey smiled nervously. "Mr. and Mrs. Hastings are in the conference room… th-they want to see you."

"When?"

Slightly peering over the rim of her eyeglasses, she timidly stuttered, "Uh, n-now."

"Oh… well ok. Uh, did they say what this meeting was about?" the attorney worried.

The entry level employee shook her head from side to side. "No, ma'am, but whatever it is," she gulped, "neither of your parents looked thrilled about it."

An immediate meeting with her parents wasn't a great way to start her day; apparently, something was wrong. Spencer inhaled and exhaled profusely to calm herself down as she trekked down the hallways towards the conference room. She searched her mind trying to see what could be wrong; unfortunately, she was clueless.

When she reached the glass double doors, she peaked inside to see who was in the conference room. In addition to Peter and Veronica, her co-counselor she recently hired was present. The short brunette adorned a slight grin on her face, so Spencer assumed that the ordeal was not as bad as she presumed.

"Good morning," Spencer emitted in an upbeat tune to mask her apprehension.

Veronica looked up to acknowledge her daughter's arrival. "Spencer, please, have a seat," she directed.

Spencer's insides felt like the eye of a category five hurricane—running rampage and out of control. She was extremely worried. She could tell by her mom's tone and her dad's stern expression that she was not going to like what they had to say. She stole a quick glance at Mona. She was still smiling.

"Ok," Spencer timidly replied as she sat down. "What's going on?"

"I can tell you what's not going on. The Rosewood Memorial case," her mom replied taciturnly.

"Hanna's case? I have that under control now…" the Hastings spawn began.

Peter raised an eyebrow, his involuntary reaction of disbelief. He interceded, "Spencer, you've been declaring that since the beginning of this case, but you've yet to prove yourself."

Spencer was about to speak up and explain, but her mother's sharp voice overrode hers.

"We can't keep giving you chances, because you're our daughter. We have a business to run. And this business has invested a lot of time, resources, and money into this high-profile case. If we lose this case… No, no, no… we can't lose this case. We just can't. Because if we do, this firm will go under," her mother slash boss elucidated.

Spencer entailed, "Mom, dad, I know that…"

Again, she was interrupted before she could complete her declaration.

"Apparently not, honey," Veronica speculated, "because if you did, you'd admit that this case is too much and recuse yourself from it."

"Wait! What?!" Spencer panicked. "No! I can't do that to my best friend!"

Peter announced, "That's why we're doing it for you."

Veronica added, "Spencer, you're off this case."

"Are you serious right now?!" Spencer shrieked, her voice escalading with each syllable.

"Honey, don't take this personal. We have to do what we have to do to keep this business afloat. Right now, you're not the best candidate for this particular case. You're too emotionally invested, because of your relationship with the client, and it's crippled your work ethic."

"No, it hasn't! If anything, it's made me work harder, because it's not just another case to me! I've put everything into this case!" Spencer argued.

"Apparently," a leering voice began, "your everything just isn't enough."

Spencer's eyes cut towards the owner of that vindictive comment. She was shooting virtual daggers at Mona. And that little smirk she was sporting only added fuel to Spencer's fire.

"Not to sound rude, but you haven't been working here long enough to weigh in on my work ethics," Spencer decreed.

There it was again—Mona's smirk made a cameo as she replied, "Not to sound rude, but apparently, I know enough to take over this case."

Spencer burst out into an evil guffaw. "You're kidding me, right?" she inquired. But when she saw the I'm-not-kidding expressions on both of her parents' faces, her laughing terminated. "Mom, dad, you can't give this case—this million dollar lawsuit—to a lawyer who's been here for like five goddamn minutes!"

"Spencer, you presented an unreliable witness in court. You failed to submit concrete evidence when prompted. You let your client come to court intoxicated. _Intoxicated_ for crying out loud! You've been lacking ever since you got engaged. Never had you missed so many days of work until _that boy_ came into your life!" her father spewed.

It was true. Spencer had perfect attendance since her first day at the firm since she graduated law school. She worked until midnight. She worked weekends and holidays. Even when there wasn't any work to be done, Spencer Hastings found work.

All of that did change when Toby came into her life. But it wasn't his fault, nor was it hers. She realized that before him, she didn't have a life outside of the firm's four walls. All she did was slave for her parents.

Toby didn't distract her from focusing on her career (ok, sometimes he did, especially when he started flexing those flawless Hercules-like assets), but his involvement in her life helped balanced it. She worked hard, extremely hard. Hell, she deserved to play just as hard.

"So, I should feel guilty for having a love life?" she sneered.

"That's not what we're saying, Spencer," her mother assured.

"Then, what are you saying? Huh?"

"They're saying you're better off planning your wedding than winning this case," Mona interjected. "If there is still a wedding to be planned…"

Spencer was starting to feel her Hanna-ness kick in, because a storm of inappropriate replies were riding dangerously on the tip of her tongue. The Spencer in her kept reminding her to be professional, but the Hanna in her was ready to explode like lava.

She couldn't believe Mona was saying the things she was saying. It was like Mona wasn't on her side. She was seeing her co-counselor in a new light today, and she didn't like what she was seeing. She couldn't pinpoint her suspicion, but something wasn't right about the new girl.

As a matter of fact, nothing was right about her. That's when Spencer remembered. Mona failed to pick up Wren's letter; she never showed for court. The worst part was she never bothered to offer a reason why. What really intensified Spencer's worries was that despite Mona's lack of involvement on the case, she seemed well informed.

"Spencer…" her mother called in a calming tone.

"It's fine. If you guys want me off the case, then so be it," Spencer professed.

The other three occupants in the glass enclosed room appeared shocked with her waving of the white flag so easily. Her parents nodded as they stood to leave, not being fans of apologies. Mona stood and gathered her belongings. When she reached the door, she peered over her shoulder to make eye-contact with Spencer.

"Spence… it's just what's best for the client," she proclaimed in a faux tone of concern, but inside she possessed the utmost pride that her clever scheme was working so well.

Spencer offered a reassuring smile that was as fake as Mona's words.

"Don't worry, though," Mona grinned and winked. "I'll win this case."

That was the only honest intention she admitted. Her goal was to win the case, but not for Hanna. Mona Vanderwaal was the defending party's attorney. When she found out she was going to be up against the only lawyer to have ever beaten her in court, she cooked up this malicious plan to infiltrate _Hastings and Smith's Law Firm_, posing as a hopeful job seeker to get the inside scoop on Spencer's agenda. She had been sabotaging the case the entire time.

Spencer was usually great at reading people and figuring them out with ease, but she had been blindsided by her relationship woes. She had Toby on high alert when it was the pint-sized wolf in sheep's clothing wreaking havoc.

But now that Toby was in the clear… sort of… Spencer still didn't have any idea what her fiancé was up to, but she knew it wasn't anything to be alarmed about. Nonetheless, he was cleared.

Now Spencer had her sights set on Mona. She didn't know what the other brunette attorney was up to, but she had a strong feeling that she wasn't Team Hastings. She seemed to have something up her sleeve. Now, so did Spencer.

Spencer didn't really give in to terminating her involvement on Hanna's case. If you believed she actually surrendered, then go check yourself into Radley, because you're cray-cray.

She just needed Mona to believe it since the bitch was so hell-bent on accomplishing that. But the silent war was far from over.

Or so they thought.

Tonight, someone was going to die.

~:~

It was a quarter after five in the evening, a.k.a. closing time. Everyone had bombarded the first floor, rushing to their cars, ready to get home. Everyone except Spencer.

Her parents had assigned her to another case. She spent the entire day working (pretending) on that. Now that everyone was leaving the evening, she snuck into Mona's office to retrieve Hanna's file.

As she flipped through the documents, she became enraged. There were no new notes or strategies on how to revive the doomed case. It was obvious that Mona hadn't worked on the case at all today. From the collection of dust on the manila folder, it seemed like she hadn't even touched it.

_Is she purposely trying to lose this case?_ Spencer wondered. _It's not my crazy imagination this time. This chick really is up to something_.

Spencer gathered the paperwork and headed towards the conference room. She decided to work in there, because she needed to utilize all the space of the gigantic room. She sprawled all the paperwork out across the elongated table. She sighed as she knew tonight was going to be an all-nighter.

She extracted her cell from her purse and texted her fiancé.

To: Toby

_Hey, babe. Looks like I'll be working late tonight. _

_~Spence~_

To: Spencer

_How late? Plz don't tell me ur going 2 miss dinner. I made your fav 2night-lasagna. _

_Bob-Da-Builder_

To: Toby

_Late like I'm pulling an all-nighter. Sorry, but it's really really really important. I promise to make it up to you. I promise!_

_~Spence~_

To: Spencer

:-(

_Bob-Da-Builder_

To: Toby

_SORRY! I LOVE YOU!_

_~Spence~_

Instead of chirping, her phone rung this time. Toby was calling. Spencer ignored the call. She didn't want to hear the disappointment in his voice. She did feel bad that she just promised him yesterday that she'd been more involved and she was already breaking that promise.

She placed her phone on silence. She was adamant about getting this case back on track, and that meant no distractions whatsoever.

An hour later…

The conference room was located in the center of the building, its walls made of thick fiberglass. It was like a glass box. People in the hallway could see who was inside the room and vice versa. Spencer was so invested in the piles of paperwork before her that she hadn't noticed Mona in the hallway watching her.

Mona tiptoed backwards and raced into the ladies' room. Spencer heard the door slam. Her head shot up in wonderment. It was well after closing time, so Spencer thought she was the only person in the building.

She uprooted from her seat and emerged from the conference room. She followed the source of the noise. She pushed the bathroom door open, but stopped once she heard Mona's voice. Peering through the crevice of the ajar door, Spencer watched and listened as Mona argued with the person on the other end of her phone call.

"Change of plans," Mona panicked, but low, voice informed. "Don't come to the office. I thought everyone would be gone by now, but that bitch is still here…"

Spencer drew her bottom lip in to refrain from retaliating.

"Well, I didn't know she would work late tonight…" Mona continued. "WHAT?! You're already here! No, no, no! You have to leave. Spencer is still here, and if she sees you, we're screwed! I worked too hard to ruin this bitch to get caught now!"

_Who the hell was she talking to?_ Spencer wondered. _Time to find out what she has been hiding._

Spencer quietly closed the door and darted towards the lobby. Whoever Mona had a secret meeting planned with was in the building and Spencer needed to see who it was. The anxious brunette zipped down the lengthy hallway in recording breaking time.

Her heart was racing; her palms were sweaty; her nerves were rattling. She was a mere seconds away from finding out what the hell Mona had going on and why was she so adamant about ruining this case.

Spencer took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself, because apparently she knew whoever was helping Mona take her down. The brunette gradually peeked her head around the corner. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was Toby.


End file.
